Mythaven
by Reizbar-Ookami
Summary: Joey knew the minute he got the stupid book that it would be trouble; his grandmother had told him so. That explained why he was in a different world, stuck with Seto Kaiba and traveling with a giant dog and a dragon-deer, never mind the psycho after him!
1. Prologue

Mythaven

Prologue

"Where'd you get it, Joey?"

Joey scowled slightly, peering at the binding of the book in his hands and trying to read the old, scratchy writing. "I dunno. My grandma sent it to me and told me not t' open it."

"What's the point having a book if you're not going to read it?" Seto sneered, crossing his arms. Truthfully, he didn't want to be there, but Mokuba had wanted to come, and hell if he was going to let the geek-squad corrupt him.

"Ya haven't met my grandma." The blond narrowed his eyes at him. "She's crazy, but she's _always_ right."

Yugi tilted his head. "Is she the one that sent you that necklace, too?"

The brunet smirked as his eyes fell on the silver form of a dog holding _kushi dango [1]_ in its mouth—while chasing its tail—kept around the other boy's neck with a thin silver chain. "It suits you, mutt."

Joey growled at him. "It's s'posed to represent an _inugami [2],_ stupid! Ah, what d'you care anyway?" He looked down at the book and bit his lip.

"If you want to open it, why don't you?" Mokuba asked, plopping down next to him.

"'Cause she told me not to or else I'd suffer unimaginable trials that I may or may not survive." He grimaced. "And I don't wanna see if she's right again."

"If she didn't want anyone to open and read it, why the hell would she send it to _you?_" Duke asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

"I dunno." He frowned and fingered the edge of the book. "Maybe 'cause I've learned that she knows best."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Come _on,_ Joey. She's a crazy old lady who probably keeps lots of cats."

Joey scowled at him indignantly. "She only has seven!"

"…Only?"

"Three of 'em are old! They're just bidin' time with her until they die!"

"…Uh huh."

"…Shut up, Tristan."

"Sooo… You can't even tell what the name of the book is?" Ryou asked, trying to keep the peace. "Not even one letter?"

The blond looked back down at the book and frowned. "I can see an 'h' and maybe an 'n.'"

"Hmm… That doesn't really help then, does it…"

"Why not just open it?" Bakura asked, raising an eyebrow. "If something bad happens, the pharaoh and I can just use our shadow magic to banish it or debilitate it."

"…_Well…_"

Yami raised an eyebrow as well. "You don't have faith in our powers?"

"I don't," Seto muttered. …Not that anyone heard him.

Joey frowned in thought and slid the book to rest on its spine in his lap. "…I dunno, guys. My grandma's pretty superstitious sometimes, and—"

The book shuddered, then flew up into the air, the cover flipping open to reveal the first page. There was a flash in which Joey saw the word 'Mythaven' cross his vision before the pages began flapping as they turned as if pushed by invisible fingers or wind. The pages suddenly stopped—right in the center of the book—and began to glow.

And as everyone knows, this did not bode well for anyone.

Joey reached out to grab the book and try and slam it closed before anything could happen—like set a psychopath loose or unleash a bunch of monsters from a different magical realm—only to feel a sucking sensation as soon as his hands touched the book. He let out a yelp as he was pulled closer to the book, trying to tug his hands away only to find them being helplessly drawn into the glowing pages.

He felt someone grab onto his arm, but that didn't help him from being sucked in. Yugi gasped and grabbed his other arm, only to find himself being drawn in as well. Tristan and Yami grabbed onto him, Duke and Ryou grabbed onto Seto (who'd grabbed onto the blond first), and Bakura grabbed onto Ryou.

Mokuba could only watch in horror as everyone was suddenly sucked into the book.

The book snapped shut with a thump of old pages, glowed a moment more, and then fell to the ground with a thud. He stared as the light dulled, willing it to spit his friends back out, then let out the one word that could sum up all of his feelings and thoughts exactly.

"_Crap!_"

-x-x-x-

Joey let out a shriek as he found himself suddenly falling from the sky, flailing helplessly, before falling into a large, deep pool of water. He clawed to the surface and gasped in the air once he reached it, then looked around for land.

Then something fell on him, forcing him back underwater. He shoved whatever it was away and surfaced again, sputtering out the water he'd accidentally inhaled. He turned in confusion and scowled when he saw what landed on him. "_You!_"

"Nice to see you too, mutt," Seto snarled, glaring back at him. He only glared at him for a moment, though, before beginning to look around. "Where the hell are we?"

It wasn't very easy to tell. They were in a large lake surrounded by lots of trees. It could have been any natural area. …Though they assumed it was safe to say that they weren't in Domino anymore.

Joey started swimming toward the bank. Seto was quick to follow him. Once safe on the mud, he looked around again, eyes landing on a shadow moving through the trees. He grabbed the brunet's sleeve quickly. "Kaiba, do ya see that?"

"What? …Oh God, what could go wrong _now?_"

The shadow moved closer, showing it to be about the size of a horse, maybe a little smaller. It had lots of hair and walked on four paws. Its eyes were a bright, glowing gold. As soon as it stepped into the light, both boys found in horror that it was a very, very large golden-red canine.

The dog blinked at them, first looking at the larger teen, then the blond, then back again a few times. Then it grinned and, in a distinctly female voice, stated, "You must be Joseph. Your grandmother talked about you a lot."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] _Kushi dango_ is dango on a skewer. _Dango_ is a Japanese dumpling made from _mochiko_ (rice flour), related to _mochi_. Three to four _dango_ are served on a skewer. There are many different varieties, like:

_An-Dango_—short for _anko_, or sweetened red-bean paste

_Bocchan Dango—dango_ that has three colors; one colored by red beans, one colored by eggs, and one colored by green tea

_Chichi Dango_—slightly sweet light treats usually eaten as a dessert

_Hanami Dango_—also has three colors, _Hanami dango_ is traditionally made during Sakura-viewing season, hence the name _Hanami_ (hana meaning "flower," mi meaning "to see")

_Goma—_sesame seeds; it is both sweet and salty

_Kinako_—a toasted soy flour

_Mitarashi—_a syrup made from _shouyu_ (soy sauce), sugar, and starch

_Teppanyaki—dango_ on a skewer with a tangy _teppanyaki_ taste

[2] _Inugami_ are a type of _shikigami _(spirit summoned by practitioners of on _onmyōdō_, much like a western familiar) resembling (and usually originating from) a dog, and most commonly carrying out an act of vengeance or acting as guardians on behalf of the _inugami-mochi_ (or "_inugami_ owner"). _Inugami_ are extremely powerful and capable of existing independently, as well as turning on their "owners" and even possessing humans.

There are two popular origins of _inugami_, but I'm just going to give you the lesser of two evils: The general belief is that an _inugami_ is created by burying a dog up to its neck and placing food around it, which it cannot reach. It would take days for the dog to die, and during this time the dog's master would tell it that its pain is nothing compared to his own. When the dog dies, it would become an _inugami_; since its dying wish would have been to eat, the food placed around the corpse would act as a placatory offering, and thus make the spirit obedient.


	2. Chapter 1

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Joey started swimming toward the bank. Seto was quick to follow him. Once safe on the mud, he looked around again, eyes landing on a shadow moving through the trees. He grabbed the brunet's sleeve quickly. "Kaiba, do ya see that?"_

"_What? …Oh God, what could go wrong __**now?**__"_

_The shadow moved closer, showing it to be about the size of a horse, maybe a little smaller. It had lots of hair and walked on four paws. Its eyes were a bright, glowing gold. As soon as it stepped into the light, both boys found in horror that it was a very, very large golden-red canine._

_The dog blinked at them, first looking at the larger teen, then the blond, then back again a few times. Then it grinned and, in a distinctly female voice, stated, "You must be Joseph. Your grandmother talked about you a lot."_

Chapter 1

"M-my grandma?" Joey asked softly, only slightly unable to believe that he was talking to a giant dog.

She smiled, baring all of her sharp teeth. "Yes. Miss Larissa Cross. She informed me that she would be handing Mythaven over to you and that I should expect you." Her grin faded into a frown. "But she said not to expect you to open the book for a few years."

The blond scowled and stood up angrily. "I _didn't_ open the book! It opened itself and sucked me in! …And sucked my friends in, too!"

"…Ooooh, dear…" The dog brought a paw to her muzzle thoughtfully. "That's bad."

"Mutt! I _swear_ if you got me stuck in here and we have to fight our way out, I'll kill you!" Seto snarled, grabbing the blond's shirt and yanking him around to face him. "And you better hope Mokuba didn't get sucked in, too!"

The dog scowled and batted a paw at them. "Boys, please. If you want to leave, you need to find your friends. _Those that came in numbers high need the same number to say goodbye._"

Joey frowned. "Meanin'… we can't leave 'til we've gotten all of the others?"

She nodded. "That, or you wait for Miss Larissa to come help you. …But that may take a while. She said it might take a few years."

"Then I guess we better start looking for the others," Seto stated icily. He turned a glare on the blond next to him. "This is your fault."

"No, it's not. He had nothing to do with being sucked in." The dog snorted and shook her fur out. "This means that Akuju has sensed the return of the Golden One and is attempting to claim the Light as his own."

"'Golden One?'" the blond asked, but the older teen cut in.

"Let's just go so we can leave and you can come back _later_ by _yourself!_"

"Calm down, calm down," she sighed, waving a paw at him. "He'll be in even more danger if he doesn't understand why. …And you'll be in more danger as well as a companion of the Golden One."

Seto scowled. "And who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Oh." She bowed her head. "Forgive me. I'm Kankana. I'm the inugami your great-great-great-great—Well, let's just say it was a great number of greats. But your many-greats grandfather created me." She smiled innocently. "I was angry; I was loyal to him for years, and then he starved me to death for no reason.

"I didn't understand, and he hadn't offered me any food to placate me after death. I was confused. Then when I died, he asked that I consume _him_ instead to pay for his sin and in return asked that I guard his family. I didn't eat him, but I did protect his family. You are part of that family; therefore, I will protect you."

She smiled and tapped the pendant of the necklace he was wearing with her nose. "My favorite food was dango_._ The wife of your many-greats grandfather fed me dango every night. Your many-greats grandfather was a silversmith. He made that necklace in my memory. Those who have inherited the duty of protecting Mythaven inherit the necklace so that I may recognize and expect them."

"…So… Ya knew I was here?" Joey asked, tilting his head.

Kankana smiled brightly. "Yep! And I'll _always_ know where you are!"

"Can we go now?" Seto asked impatiently, scowling.

She frowned at him. "…You must have been a _cat_ in a past life." Seeing the larger teen's eyebrow twitch, she sighed and turned to offer her back to them. "Get on. We'll make better time if I don't have to wait for you." She shot them both a glare. "The Golden One sits in front." Once both teens were settled on her back, Seto grudgingly sitting behind the blond, she wiggled her hips out of habit before setting off at a smart trot that, if the two had been walking, would never have been able to keep up with for long.

-x-x-x-

"What the hell is this?"

Kankana blinked and looked over her shoulder at the boys that had jumped off her back as soon as she slowed down to allow them to do so. "It's my den. Night falls soon, and it's not safe to be about, even with an inugami_._ We'll leave tomorrow at first light." She smiled. "And first light is quite early. We may only get six hours of sleep."

"Can ya explain to me this 'Akuju has sensed the return of the Golden Boy' thing that got us stuck here in the first place?" Joey asked, following her into the dark den. He hissed softly and took a step back. "How're we s'posed t' see?"

"What? Oh, sorry. Let me get a fairy or two lit in here—" Moments later, a few bursts of blue-violet-, magenta-, dandelion-, and lime-colored light began floating around, giving the cave an eerie glow.

"Wha…? But… I thought… aren't fairies s'posed t' be intelligent? Grandma always said they were, didn't she?" the blond asked, watching as one of the dandelion lights floated over to him. He touched the light and squeaked as it suddenly landed on his head and stayed there. "Ack!"

"Ah… You're talking about _faeries,_ Joseph. _Faeries_ are intelligent. These are just fairies. Hear the difference?" she asked, ears flying up.

"Sorta," he admitted, then looked back toward her. "So fairies are just for light?"

Kankana smiled again. "Decorative light that most can use; only the magical use light magic. I could, but I'm too lazy to perform the spell. Seto, come into the den. It's not safe outside."

"Whatever."

She made sure they were settled on various piles of fur before settling herself between and slightly in front of them. "Akuju is the head of the dark forces in this world. His only goal is to get the light under his power and claim it as his own. Joseph, you are the Golden One; the prophesied boy who can use the light to lock Akuju away forever." She closed her eyes, not moving an inch as various fairies settled in her fur and dulled until there was only a weak glow, making her seem almost ethereal. "Requires sacrifice, blah, blah, blah, large battle, blah, blah, blah, chance of death, blah, blah, blah—you know, the whole 'save the world' thing."

Joey scowled. "Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we just let the world go t' hell."

"Thousands of creatures depending on you to keep them safe will die."

"…Kankana, shut up."

"Fair enough."

Seto watched the blond across from him drift off to sleep, lying much like a puppy would across the bed of animal hides, all sprawled out with his head resting on his hands. The dandelion-colored fairy was still nestled contentedly in his hair, making it glow an appealing shade of yellow the same color of ripe wheat. The fairy also caused his skin to appear golden tan. He was… He didn't want to say _handsome._ His features weren't masculine enough for that, in his opinion; they were more on the feminine side. So Joey was very… _pretty._

Kankana was quite pretty as well, as far as gigantic dogs went. Her long, coarse, thick fur wasn't purely gold, nor was it purely red, and it shimmered in the dim glow of the fairies' light. Her golden eyes were currently closed, but he'd seen them reflecting the lights, and they'd been so intense and wise from years and years of life. She must have been a very good dog for her many-greats-old owner to offer his life to her in exchange for her service. She didn't speak of him with contempt, either, meaning she must have forgiven him as well. To be that forgiving would take a saint.

That, or someone who thought with their stomach, because she'd said that she'd been fed dango every night for who knows how long; considering Joey, that may just in fact be a family trait inherited from said many-greats-old owner.

Grabbing one of the blue-violet lights, he found it quite willing to follow him around, so he released it again. He got to his feet silently, his eyes never once leaving the large canine for fear she'd wake up and snap at him to lay down and sleep. He approached the mouth of the cave that was her den and peered outside skeptically. She'd said it was dangerous, even for her, and inugami were not easily beat.

When he saw nothing threatening outside, he stepped out into the open and looked up at the sky, frowning. He couldn't spot any of the constellations he knew—wait, was that the Big Dip-? …No. No, it wasn't. He couldn't tell east from west. He'd need Kankana, at least, if he ever had any hope of navigating this place. …And Kankana wouldn't do anything unless it was at least nothing that would endanger Joey, if not benefit him.

He felt the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stand on end, and the fairy moved closer to him swiftly and grabbed his jacket, showing that his instincts were, indeed, correct about something _very, __**very**_ bad being much too close to him. He looked around anxiously, trying to spy what it was that had gotten too close for comfort.

He didn't have to look far. In fact, as he turned to his left, he found a large creature—at least eight feet tall—made completely of bones, floating at least a foot off the ground, its skull aflame. Its eyes were as black as coal, burning in its face. It held a large sword that could easily cleave him in two. He knew from myth that just the _sight_ of these creatures can bring bad luck.

He couldn't help it as the word slipped past his lips. "_Akuma [1]._"

Though whispered, the demon heard it, and let out an earth-shaking roar before charging at him.

He didn't even have time to run or hide. That demon was going to kill and possibly eat him, and Mokuba wouldn't even know—

Letting out a deafening roar of his own, he instinctively threw his right hand forward. Sparks danced over and across his fingers only momentarily before lightning shot from his hand and nailed the demon right in the chest. It only seemed to wind it and make it retreat a few feet before charging again with an infuriated screech.

Seto narrowed his eyes and snarled, throwing his other hand out. Black fire sparked and spat loudly before a large, black flame shot from his arm to strike the beast as well. He noted with growing annoyance that it only seemed to piss the demon off even more.

The akuma charged a third time, and the brunet noted worriedly that it was getting closer. The white lightning did nothing; the black fire did nothing; what was he supposed to do now?

The fairy that had clinging to his jacket tried to speak to him, its voice like some bamboo wind chime in a breeze. He couldn't understand it. All he knew was that suddenly he felt weaker, and there was _something_ forming in front of him. …It was about the size of a domestic rat.

"Is that… a Fairy Dragon?" he asked the fairy in disbelief, knowing full well that even if it answered him, he wouldn't understand it.

Indeed it was. The green dragon appeared worm-like in structure, but for the smooth-scaled head. It had two little ears and big purple eyes, and a little yellow nose. It wings flapped frantically to keep it in the air—nearly as fast as a hummingbird had to flap its own wings to stay afloat. It was very… _cute._ There was no other word for it.

"And that's supposed to help me how?!" he shouted at the blue-violet fairy still clinging to his coat.

The little dragon took one look at the akuma, squealed in fright, then began flapping its wings harder and harder, until the brunet could see the wind _visibly_ holding the demon at bay. The demon circled around, trying to spot an opening, but the minute monster kept pace with him, always staying between Seto and the fairy and the giant demon.

Roaring in frustration that such a small, _cute_ dragon was keeping it from its prey, the akuma charged forth with new determination. The Fairy Dragon squealed again before letting out a roar that appeared much too big for its tiny body. The roar made Seto cover his ears and wince, glad that it wasn't directed at him.

The akuma was not as lucky. The sound blast from the dragon's roar caused the bones to shatter apart, and its skull fell to the ground, its head extinguished. The skull rolled a few feet before coming to rest before the tiny dragon. The Fairy Dragon squealed in delight that it had won and began flying in celebratory circles.

Seto raised an eyebrow at it and placed his hands on his hips. "I'm surprised we're not dead."

"Why?" He jumped and turned back to the den quickly to find that Kankana was looking at him in such an unamused fashion that he felt as if he was a child that had gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. She raised a furry brow inquisitively. "Please, Seto, I'm interested to hear _why_ you were outside in the first place."

"…I don't have to explain myself to you."

As her lips curled up to bear her teeth in an angry snarl, Joey leapt out and hugged the brunet tightly. "Jesus, Kaiba, don't scare us like that!"

"What the hell are you doing?! Get off of me!"

The blond shot him a glare and whispered, "I'm tryin' to save ya from bein' messily disemboweled by a pissed off inugami_._ Work with me!"

"…Tch…" The older teen rolled his eyes but patted him on the head nevertheless. "I'm fine, puppy. …Let go. I'm not a touchy feely person."

Kankana snorted in discontent, but if her 'master' cared about the upstart, who was she to hurt him? "You're lucky that fairy thought as quickly as she did. Now come inside before you draw something _else's_ attention." And she turned and padded back into the den.

"…Doesn't lookin' at one of those things give ya bad luck?" Joey asked, pulling away from the brunet and looking up at him inquisitively.

The dog's voice called back to them, "Believe me, the bad luck an akuma can give is _nothing_ compared to the bad luck a Dragon Master can cast on someone. _…COME!_"

The two teens tried not to appear frightened as they hurried after her, unwilling to test her patience with them when she was already unhappy.

The Fairy Dragon squeaked in alarm and flew in after them, making itself comfortable in the smaller teen's hair beside the dandelion-colored fairy that had yet to leave. "Hey! What the—"

Kankana snorted. "Consider it a compliment, Joseph. Fairy Dragons usually sleep only in the softest flowers. If it has deemed your head a pleasant substitute, it's an honor."

"Besides, you've got enough hair to spare some for a bed," Seto added, smirking.

Joey shot him a glare but lay back down on his bed of furs nonetheless. "I do _not_ have enough hair to spare for a bed!"

-x-x-x-

"…She's not wakin' up," Joey stated after a few minutes, having poked, prodded, shaken, yanked, kicked, hit, and all around harassed the inugamithat had brought them to her den in the first place. "If it weren't for the fact that she's obviously breathin', I'd think she was dead."

"If only," the brunet sighed, then scowled and reached over to yank on her ear. "Hey! Wake up! You said we could leave when it was light out!"

Kankana snorted and rolled over so her back was facing them.

Sometime during the early morning the fairies and the dragon had taken their leave, as they were no longer needed with the dawning light. However, the fairies and dragon leaving had been the only change to the dark rock cave.

The blond bit his bottom lip anxiously and rested his fists on his knees as he sat back. "…I don't wanna leave without her… We have no idea where t' go…"

"So let's start walking. She'll catch up," Seto answered, growing impatient.

The smaller boy looked up at him and frowned. "And when she yells at us and we find out we've been goin' the wrong way the whole time…?"

"Oh for the love of—Grab one of her legs," the brunet ordered sharply, already grabbing one of the dog's back legs.

Joey tiled his head and grabbed her other hind leg. "What are we doin'?"

"Dragging her with us until she wakes up."

"That seems… _degradin'_ for an inugami, doesn't it?"

"Well, if she woke up, she wouldn't have to be degraded, now, would she?"

"…I guess…" The blond tilted his head again before looking up at the larger teen in innocent curiosity. "Hey, last night, how'd ya do that with the fire and the lightnin'?"

Seto shrugged slightly. "Hell if I know. Kankana mentioned something about a Dragon Master."

"Maybe we should ask her about it when she wakes up."

"You think?"

Joey scowled at him before stopping. "Where are we goin'?"

The brunet groaned and rolled his eyes before looking down at him in annoyance. "I don't know. Away from the den. Does it matter _where_ we're going? If we're going the wrong way, Kankana can just take us back."

The blond scowled and sat down where he stood. "I'm not goin' a step further 'til we know where we're goin'!"

"Why are you being so unreasonable?!" Seto snarled, glaring at him. "Your friends are lost our there somewhere—no telling _where,_ or whether or not they're _safe_—and you're content to wait for a stupid mutt to wake up?!"

The smaller teen closed his eyes and stuck his nose up in the air. "Yes."

"You're impossible and irrational, mutt!"

"_You_ are stupid and impatient, moneybags."

"Stupid-?!"

"_Yes,_ stupid."

Kankana yawned widely and lifted her head, watching the two bicker silently, before getting to her feet with another yawn and shake of her fur. "Really, if I didn't know better, I'd say you two were an old married couple." At their twin looks of horror, she frowned. "I said 'if I didn't know better.'"

"Don't think like that!" Joey exclaimed angrily, a light blush crossing his cheeks. "Or I'll throw up on ya!"

She rolled her eyes before looking around with a frown. "How did I get out here? Oh, never mind, humans are all impatient." At the blond's indignant squawk, she snorted and shook her fur again. "Well, if we want to get to the _Kirin's [2]_ by lunch, we'll have to leave now." She squinted up at the sun and frowned again. "Now, if we go west by northwest—"

Seto's eyebrow twitched in disbelief. "How can you tell the difference?!"

"I'm all knowing. Is that a problem?" the dog asked, raising a furry brow. "In case you haven't noticed, Mythaven isn't exactly like your world."

"What did I do to deserve this?!" the brunet shouted angrily, throwing his hands up in frustration and glaring up at the sky.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] An _akuma_ an evil Japanese spirit. Its head is on fire, its eyes are made of coal (or so I understand), and it's seen flying around and carrying a large sword. I haven't been able to find a picture or anything, so being a gigantic skeleton could be wrong. ^^ But it made for better imagery than 'a large demon with its head aflame and holding a large sword.' See? That doesn't sound as pretty. :D

[2] A _Kirin_ is the Japanese name of the Chinese _Qilin._ It's a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear in conjunction with the arrival of a sage. It is a good omen that brings serenity, prosperity, good luck, and whatever other synonyms for it. Although it looks fearsome, it only punishes the wicked.

It can walk on grass without trampling the blades and can also walk on water. Being a peaceful creature, its diet does not include flesh. It takes great care when it walks never to tread on any living thing, and it is said to appear only in areas ruled by a wise and benevolent leader (some say even if this area is only a house). It is normally gentle but can become fierce if a pure person is threatened by a sinner, spouting flames from its mouth and exercising other fearsome powers that vary from story to story.

Japanese art tends to depict the _Kirin_ as more deer-like than in Chinese art. Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd. is named after the animal, and the word _Kirin_ has also come to be used in modern Japanese for a giraffe. It's depicted as a dragon shaped like a European-style unicorn, only with a horse's tail instead of a lion's.


	3. Chapter 2

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Kankana yawned widely and lifted her head, watching the two bicker silently, before getting to her feet with another yawn and a shake of her fur. "Really, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were an old married couple." At their twin looks of horror, she frowned. "I said 'if I didn't know better.'"_

"_Don't think things like that!" Joey exclaimed angrily, a light blush crossing his cheeks. "Or I'll throw up on ya!"_

_She rolled her eyes before looking around with a frown. "How did I get out here? Oh, never mind, humans are all impatient." At the blond's indignant squawk, she snorted and shook her fur again. "Well, if we want to get to the Kirin's by lunch, we'll have to leave now." She squinted up at the sun and frowned again. "Now, if we go west by northwest—"_

_Seto's eyebrow twitched in disbelief. "How can you tell the difference?!'"_

"_I'm all knowing. Is that a problem?" the dog asked, raising a furry brow. "In case you haven't noticed, Mythaven isn't exactly like your world."_

"_What did I do to deserve this?!" the brunet shouted angrily, throwing his hands up in frustration and glaring at the sky._

Chapter 2

"…Kaiba, are—"

"Just—Don't speak to me."

Joey winced but looked back down at his hands, which were gripping Kankana's fur tightly. "…Where are we goin'?" he asked softly, afraid to anger the teen behind him even more.

Kankana glanced back at him and smiled. "We're going to see the Kirin and somehow convince him to reverse your friend's bad luck, if he has acquired any from the akuma. …I'll also ask him for a map, and if he'll give the wisdom to Mr. Sourpuss to read it."

"Okay. …And then we can go look for my friends?"

"Oh yes." She smiled before giving a slight hop, jarring the taller teen into the blond. "You awake back there, Mr. Sourpuss?"

Seto growled and tightened his grip around the blond's waist. "_Yes._"

"Good. Now—"

"_Ow!_ Owie, owie, ouch, ow, ouch! Let go o' me! _Kaiba, let go of me!_"

Kankana came to a stop suddenly and turned her head sharply, just in time to see the smaller teen spring from her back, clutching his stomach, and crumple to the ground in a pathetic heap. She glanced back at the brunet; he looked just as confused as she felt, if not a little more guarded about it. Seeing her look, he slid from her back as well, allowing her to approach the fallen teen.

"Joseph? Joseph, talk to me. I can't help if I don't know what's wrong." She nudged the blond softly with her nose. "Joseph?"

Joey whimpered and curled up even more. "Don't touch it…!"

"Don't touch what, Joseph?"

The blond cringed and slid one of his hands up, causing his shirt to ride up slightly. "It's not bad, it's just… why did it hafta be the lightning?" he whispered, tears forming in his eyes.

Seto frowned and knelt beside him, moving his hands aside to pull his shirt up further. He winced slightly as he found a dark crimson mark on the left side of the blond's abdomen, crimson fanning from the central point like ferns a few inches. In his annoyance, he'd electrocuted the smaller teen.

And Joey had almost been killed in Battle City by being struck by lightning.

"…It should be fine," Kankana stated softly, then turned, offering her back to them. "…Golden One sits in back this time."

The brunet got Joey to sit up—most reluctantly—and, seeing that he wouldn't be standing soon, lifted him up onto the dog's back, then climbed on in front of him. He looked down when he felt only one arm around his waist as the dog took off at an even quicker trot than before and frowned, reaching back to grab his other hand. "Don't put pressure on it, puppy. That'll just make it hurt even worse."

The blond whimpered but brought his other arm around him obediently, leaning his cheek against the older teen's broad back. "But it hurts…"

"You'll make it hurt worse if you keep putting pressure on it."

Joey winced before clenching the brunet's silky black turtleneck. "…'kay…"

The blond had never been so endearing, Seto mused.

-x-x-x-

"Soumya! Soumya!" Kankana looked around and frowned slightly, then scowled, lips curling back to bear her teeth. "_SOUMYA!_"

"What? What, what? Who are you, what do you want? I'm _old;_ go away and leave me to be miserable in peace…"

Joey and Seto blinked and looked around for the disembodied voice before glancing at each other skeptically. This… 'Soumya' didn't sound very happy to help _anyone._

The dog huffed before letting out a growl. "Soumya, I swear, if you make me come look for you, I'll be one very unhappy inugami!"

"Kankana?!"

Joey let out a yelp and latched onto the brunet instinctively as the voice came from right beside him. "Holy-!" Seto turned his head and raised an eyebrow at the being that was Soumya.

He—at least, Kankana had called it a he, and who were they to question her?—was large; larger than even the inugami, by at least a foot and a half. He had the basic body structure of an elk or deer. He had long, thin, tapered legs that ended in beautiful cloven hooves that attached to a long but thin body. His ears were large and framed one long, sharp horn extending from his forehead. His eyes were big and green, intense in their own right, but not in the same way that Kankana's were.

Turquoise scales extended down from his spine to about mid-stomach, where it instead tapered over to thick, light green fur that complimented the color of his eyes and scales brilliantly. He had a mane of the thick fur from his horn down to where his neck met his spine, and a long, fluffy tail that twitched about like a cat's. There were tufts of fur at the backs of his ankles as well, giving him a regal air.

…Even if he currently looked like a delighted dog, bouncing up and down.

As if realizing how unstately he looked, he stopped bouncing and cleared his throat, shaking his mane out of his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was deeper. …Not the excited squeal it had been. "What brings you here, anyway?" His smile faded. "Usually you avoid me at all costs."

Kankana sighed and ambled over to look at some carvings on a rock. "Oh, you know, when Akuju summons my master from his world without a damn who else he sucks in…" She sat down and shrugged, not even facing him. "I didn't know who else to turn to. No one's as wise as you." She paused in thought. "…No one that will put up with me, anyway."

Soumya's ears wilted slightly, but the look of despair was gone as soon as it was there as he bitterly stated, "Well, if I'm all you've got, you'd better tell me what you want so you can leave."

Her ears flew up in surprise. "…Okay…" She glanced over at the two humans and frowned. "Akuju sucked my master and his friends in. One of them was attacked by an akuma last night. I was hoping you'd nullify any bad luck he may be retaining."

He looked toward the humans skeptically and frowned. "Who? The blond?"

"No, that's my master. The one you're looking for is Mr. Sourpuss."

As the kirin snickered at the nickname, Seto sent them both a withering glare. …Not that either of them withered. Really, one of them was an inugami and the other one was a kirin_._ He hadn't really expected them to wither anyway.

Soumya raised a brow and looked the brunet up and down. "…I can't nullify what isn't there. Akuma, you say?"

Kankana scowled and stomped her front paw down. "Yes! Saw him hit it with magic and everything!"

"…Hmm." The dragon-deer sighed out some smoke and sat down. "Neither of them have a lick of bad luck." He tilted his head and frowned. "In fact, the blond has an almost _obscene _amount of good luck. …Mr. Sourpuss, however, doesn't believe in luck. He makes his own." He sat up straight again. "That's probably why he didn't have any bad luck, either."

"…I see." She shrugged and sighed absently. "Well, he _did_ shoot lightning and fire out of his hands—"

"What?" Soumya turned a critical eye on the brunet and looked him up and down. "I'm going to assume there's a Dragon Master standing before me."

"A Dragon Master who needs to learn to control his temper when it comes to two certain puppies," the inugami confirmed, giving him the evil eye.

Seto simply rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to tell them it was an accident; he knew she knew, and there was no point repeating himself. He did, however, shoot the blond still clinging to him a more than confused glare. He could let go now.

"I suppose he might be calling me every once in a while," the kirin finally sighed, looking very put out. "Here I thought I'd be safe from Dragon Masters forever but _no,_ here you are."

Kankana raised a brow. "You sound bitter."

"I'm part dragon; therefore, he has the ability to summon me. …And since he doesn't know of all his powers and can't control some of them, it might be easier to just accompany you," Soumya mumbled, getting to his feet and trotting behind an outcropping of rocks. "Give me a moment to find my map and Book of Dragonry."

"…He's kinda weird," Joey stated as the kirin continued mumbling to himself, his tail the only thing visible as they could hear things clatter against and around each other. Just then realizing that he was still clinging to the brunet, he squeaked and pulled away. "Ack!"

"Sort of like you and your grandmother," his inugami replied, shrugging.

Seto crossed his arms and sighed, shooting the blond another glare before giving the dog the blandest stare possible. "He's smitten with you."

Kankana's ears flew up in surprise. "Soumya? Smitten with me?" She snorted in disbelief and looked away. "Not funny."

"…I don't see it either," the blond added, crossing his arms and frowning. "He just seems weird."

The CEO blinked at him for a moment before stating, "And that's why you're a moron."

"Hey—"

"My map," Soumya stated, suddenly thrusting the mat at the brunet's chest. "And to save Kankana the trouble of carrying you and your coat-which-is-obviously-compensating, you will ride on my back."

Seto scowled as both the blond and the inugami began giggling. "It's not compensating for _anything._"

"_Sure_ it's not," Joey answered, smiling at him sweetly. "But now we need t' go find our friends!"

"_Your_ friends, puppy. Not mine."

Kankana tilted her head, frowning. "You have different friends?"

"I don't have friends and I don't _want_ friends," he snarled, glaring at her.

She winced slightly, then suddenly turned, offering the blond her back. "We should go. We should ask the _kodama [1]_ if they've seen any humans. There are enough of them around that one of them must have seen something. And if they haven't, maybe Shishigami has."

"_Kodama?!_" Joey exclaimed, clenching her fur in his fists. "Grandma would never tell me what they look like!"

"…Ahm…" She frowned again. "…Little white things with heads that rattle?"

"No way! Like from the movie _Princess Mononoke?_"

"…I'm going to guess yes."

"We should speak with Gen Bu, Seiryū, Suzaku, and Byakko," Soumya suggested, walking gracefully after the trotting inugami. "They're the Elemental Lords of the North, East, South, and West."

"Huh? Like those characters from _Yu Yu Hakusho?_" the blond piped in, leaning around to look at Kankana's face.

Her brows furrowed together. "…I'm going to guess yes."

"They're each a creature in the _Chinese Constellations,_" Seto explained, sighing in frustration. "Each of them represents a direction and season of the year, and each one has its own individual characteristics and origins. They've been portrayed in many historical Chinese myths and fiction, and are often used in Japanese manga and anime."

Kankana tilted her head, blinking at him innocently. "Well, aren't you just a well of knowledge?"

"He knows at least _somethin'_ 'bout _everything,_" Joey replied, sighing. "That's why all of the teachers at school like 'im."

The brunet narrowed his eyes at him. "As opposed to _you_ who knows _nothing_ about _anything._"

"Hey! I know stuff!"

"Puppy, the things you just understand now, most _grade-schoolers_ know already."

The blond's face tinted a shade of red that was usually found on a tomato as he glared back at the CEO's smug smirk. "Not everybody has the privilege of bein' too scary to approach! You think I'm stupid 'cause I was born this way!? No! I've been slapped around too much! I—"

Seto growled and sharpened his glare on him. "Whose fault is that, Wheeler?"

"_It wasn't my fault my ma and sister left!_" Joey screamed, then turned and hid his face in his protector's fur quickly, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "…It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't…"

"…Haaa…" Kankana frowned and lifted her head, turning it slightly to be able to spot the boy's face, then scowled and turned a glare on Soumya. "Teach him something so he's so busy that he can't hurt my Golden One. …And keep walking!" she hissed angrily, eyes glowing from golden to a brilliant red. "Do not come after us!"

And with that, her trot turned to a gallop, and she disappeared between the trees.

Soumya frowned and glanced back at the brunet on his back. "He's suffered a lot of head trauma. If he wants to learn things, it takes longer, and he learns best from trial and error. This is common in abused children; they learn from their mistakes because they so don't want to be hit."

Seto's frown deepened slightly as he digested this information. He'd often noticed some indications of child abuse from the blond but had merely dismissed them as bruises from fights he got into on the way to or from school. That's the excuse he always used, anyway, and what reason would the blond have to lie?

…Unless it was something he was ashamed of…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] _Kodama_ are spirits from Japanese folklore, which are believed to live in certain trees (similar to the dryads or wood nymphs of Greek myth). Cutting down a tree that houses a _kodama_ is said to bring bad fortune. Such trees are often marked by _shimenawa*_ rope. The word can also refer to an echo.

_Kodama_ appear most famously in the movie _Princess Mononoke._ In this movie they are portrayed as small, white humanoids with large, rattling heads and mask-like features.

*_Shimenawa (literally "enclosing rope")_—lengths of braided rice straw rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. They are often seen festooned with _shide (zigzag-shaped streamer)_. A space bound by _shimenawa_ often indicates a sacred or pure space, such as a shrine.

_Shimenawa_ are said to ward against evil spirits and are often set up at a ground-breaking ceremony before construction begins on a new building. _Shimenawa_ may be found at Shinto shrines, torii gates, and sacred landmarks. They are also used to mark trees that are inhabited by _kodama._


	4. Chapter 3

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_The blond's face tinted a shade of red that was usually found on a tomato as he glared back at the CEO's smug smirk. "Not everybody has the privilege of being too scary to approach! You think I'm stupid 'cause I was born this way!? No! I've been slapped around too much! I—"_

_Seto growled and sharpened his glare on him. "Whose fault is that, Wheeler?"_

"_**It wasn't my fault my ma and sister left!**__" Joey screamed, then turned and hid his face in his protector's fur quickly, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "…It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't…"_

"…_Haaa…" Kankana frowned and lifted her head, turning it slightly to be able to spot the boy's face, then scowled and turned a glare on Soumya. "Teach him something so he's so busy that he can't hurt my Golden One. …And keep walking!" she hissed angrily, eyes glowing from gold to a brilliant red. "Do not come after us!"_

_Soumya frowned and glanced at the brunet on his back. "He's suffered a lot of head trauma. If he wants to learn things, it takes longer, and he learns best from trial and error. This is common in abused children; they learn from their mistakes because they so don't want to be hit."_

_Seto's frown deepened slightly as he digested this information. He'd often noticed some indications of child abuse from the blond but had merely dismissed them as bruises from fights he got into on the way to or from school. That's the excuse he always used, anyway, and what reason would the blond have to lie?_

…_Unless it was something he was ashamed of…_

Chapter 3

"Now repeat the most important lesson of chapter two," Soumya ordered, trotting after the two golden beings.

Seto sighed, rolling his eyes. For the past two hours he'd read the 'Book of Dragonry' that Soumya had brought with him. He'd learned a few useful facts, but nothing much to help him control his powers. He hated to admit it, but he was worried about accidentally shocking someone again. He'd nearly made Joey have an anxiety attack; what would happen if he accidentally hurt Mokuba?

"Hey! Answer me when I talk to you!" the kirin ordered, scowling. "The most important lesson of chapter two, please!"

"Aahhh… Never disrespect the dragons you summon," he mumbled, rolling his eyes again. "Really, Soumya, I don't think this drilling is necessary. I've already memorized the book. I've got a photographic memory."

"And I'm sure that _bastard_ Gozaburo drilled enough studying skills into your head to use along with that helpful skill," Soumya replied bitterly. "Damned _bastard—_I'd go to Hell just to torture him for you."

Seto blinked in surprise before narrowing his eyes at him. "How did you know that?"

"I'm a kirin_._ I looked into your soul, seeking the bad luck Kankana was afraid you had; there was none to be found, but I did see what you've been through to make it that way." The large dragon-deer looked up at him, frowning. "I _would_ go to Hell just to torture him for you. Children's spirits should never be broken, especially not like yours was." He scowled. "But as Satan begs that I never step foot in Hell again, I cannot do this for you. It would be best to ask Kankana for that. Satan has decided that inugami make for good torture devices."

The brunet looked a little nauseous at this information. "…Torture devices?"

Soumya nodded. "Inugami are the only other creatures that _play_ with prey before killing them besides felines. That's why cats are always seen as signs of the devil; they're mean."

"…And so are inugami_?_"

"Well, personally, I'd rather deal with an angry inugami than a cat; dogs are more willing to give mercy. Cats will just kill you."

"That's not true! Cats are very nice creatures as long as ya treat 'em like God!" Joey exclaimed as he and Kankana appeared beside them from some bushes.

"…What if I don't _want_ to treat a cat like God?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow at the blond's logic.

Said blond merely shrugged. "Pft, like they'd care. You're just _like _a cat, so they'd probably like ya anyway, Mr. I-am-God-bow-to-me-you-pitiful-mortals."

"I am _not_ God! And I don't act like it!"

Kankana gave him a skeptical look before continuing onward. "We're almost to the trees the kodama are found in. Keep your eyes peeled for shimenawa."

Joey blinked, then pointed at something in the distance. "Like that one?"

The inugami blinked, then sighed and narrowed her eyes in frustration. "…Yes, exactly like that one." She marched onward, not even turning as she heard a rattle behind her.

The blond, however, turned and stared at the kodama in wonder. It was a tiny white humanoid, and its white head had a strange, black face on it. It tilted its head slightly, then suddenly let it turn back quickly, making another rattling sound. "Just like in _Princess Mononoke…_"

As they kept walking, more kodama appeared, and he began to get the distinct feeling that their eyeless faces were watching _him._ He shivered slightly and closed his eyes, digging his fingers into Kankana's thick fur. The giant dog grunted softly and began to trot, sensing her master's discomfort.

They came to a clearing where there was a lake with a small island in the center. As she stepped into the water, the kodama gathered at the edge of the trees, just watching them. Soumya shifted his weight from one side to the other nervously, ears switching back and forth as the inugami continued toward the island until the water was up to her shoulders (or up to the blond's hips). His tail twitched as his anxiety grew to an even bigger level, and his eyes darted back and forth. Seto noticed his growing unease and locked his eyes on Kankana and Joey as he had.

Kankana glanced back at the blond, smiling reassuringly, then suddenly threw her head back and let out a low, forlorn howl, causing both humans to flinch. The kodama began rattling in earnest, though did not leave the safety of the trees. Soumya's tail began twitching with new vigor, and his eyes moved from Kankana to the island in the middle of the lake.

Joey shivered as he felt something drawing closer, though for some unknown reason, he felt confident that he could handle what was coming his way if it got violent. He shuddered as the water began to ripple away from the island and clenched his protector's fur tighter. His eyes widened as a figure began to emerge from the shadows, flowers sprouting and blooming from wherever his feet landed before withering and dying before his eyes.

The figure had the big, bulky body of an elk, with thick, shaggy brown fur and white underbelly. His head, however, narrowed up into the face of a baboon, and tens of antlers were sprouting from behind it. His feet were that of a bird, and they seemed not to put any weight on the ground beneath it, but for the flowers budding and dying.

It breathed out a sigh and looked down at them for a moment, its eyes pausing on the blond, brunet, and inugami_,_ before finally coming to a stop on Soumya. His lips parted, and a breath of cold air was blown out, before he began to speak, his voice low and soothing. _"Cousin. It's been a while."_

Soumya turned his had away, frowning. "I apologize. I've just been preoccupied with other thoughts."

"_You were afraid to come past the shimenawa."_ It was a statement, not a question. _"Do the kodama frighten you so?"_

The kirin looked back at the kodama still rattling their heads, then turned his gaze back on his cousin. "…I cannot feel their souls, because their souls are the trees. It makes me squeamish."

Shishigami smiled. _"I understand. There must be something you need, then."_ His eyes turned on the blond boy sitting astride Kankana's back. _"And you, Kankana. What can I do for you?"_

Kankana tossed her head, flipping some stray fur out of her eyes; it was almost comical how alike she and Joey looked. "We've come to ask if you or the kodama have seen any humans. My Golden One and his friends were drawn into this world by Akuju. I need to find them before they can be sent back to their world."

"_Why leave Mythaven?"_ the god asked, tilting his head. _"We can protect you here."_

"It's not _these_ two I'm worried about," the inugami replied. "They have friends here who may not meet the right creatures, like Akhlut, Al-mi'raj, or banshees. We must find them." She jerked her head back at Seto. "He has a brother he needs to get home to and take care of."

Shishigami shook his head slowly, lips curving into a frown. _"No, neither I nor the trees have seen them. Perhaps Gen Bu, Seiry­­ū, Suzaku, or Byakko can be of more help than I. One can only hope."_

Kankana sighed, then dipped her head in a small nod. "Perhaps. Thank you for your help. I'm sorry to have bothered you for nothing."

"_Do stop leading my cousin on,"_ the god suddenly sighed, stepping out onto the water and walking past her. _"His heart can't handle much more."_ He paused as he came up by his cousin's side, giving Seto a slow glance, before beginning on again. _"I await your next visit, cousin. Hopefully, by then, you will have obtained a mate?"_

"That's none of your business!" the kirin exclaimed indignantly. "I'll get a mate when I'm damn good and ready!"

"_Of course,"_ he agreed, before moving out of sight. _"We will pray for you." _The kodama began rattling again before disappearing to follow him.

Kankana sighed and let her head drop. "Well, that was useless."

Soumya let out a 'tuh' sound, then walked over to her. "It was not. Don't worry, Kankana. We'll find them, and Akuju won't get his hands on your Golden One." He smiled reassuringly. "Besides, most of them have magic that can protect them, right?"

Joey sighed and slipped forward to hug her around the neck. "Let's hope they're all with someone with magic then." He looked up at her. "Let's go see Gen Bu, Seiry­­ū, Suzaku, or Byakko, then. They'll know, won't they?"

She smiled at him and shrugged. "You heard Shishigami; he said they'd pray for us."

Seto groaned. "Like that's going to help!"

-x-x-x-

Dark eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He hadn't been able to get to the Golden One before that damned inugami, and he dared not attack them now. The Golden One's presence had just made Kankana stronger, and he knew that she'd be teaching him how to control his powers soon. They would have been a mighty force to be reckoned with if he really wanted to attack them.

Not only that, but he was accompanied by a kirin and a Dragon Master. He couldn't send a dragon after them for that reason—with a creature _partly_ dragon and a man who could control them there to protect them—nor could he send anything to make them accumulate bad luck. The Golden One had too much _good_ luck to have it affect him, and Kankana still managed to get out of scrapes even _with_ bad luck; that, and the Dragon Master could cast it back on him tenfold.

His eyes narrowed again as his lips curved into a smirk. He had the perfect plan to begin to break the Golden One's spirit, making him easier to dominate when he finally got his hands on him. It was the perfect plan. Kankana would have to leave that night to hunt, and the kirin would probably just stand guard a few feet away. The Dragon Master wouldn't even notice something was happening.

The Light would be _his!_

-x-x-x-

"Wait, wait, wait! There's still daylight! We can keep goin'!" Joey exclaimed, frowning, as he rubbed his rear (where he'd been dropped painfully from the height of Kankana's back).

The inugami raised a furry brow at him. "…I need to hunt, and it helps to track when there is light to do so. Don't worry, Joseph; I will bring some back for you."

"That's _not_ what I was worried about!" he retorted, scowling, before his stomach rumbled uncomfortably. He winced and placed his hands on his stomach. "…But now that ya mention it…"

"I will bring food," she agreed, nodding once, before nodding toward the small abandoned den they'd found. "Go rest in there and I'll wake you once I return."

Seto could feel a part of his soul dying right before he asked, "Is it okay if I sit outside to read?"

Her ears flew up as she stared at him for a moment, as if contemplating his motives. After a little thought, she nodded slowly. "It is. But if the sun goes down before I get back, please go into the den."

He nodded back at her before bowing his head in thought. Apparently, asking her politely had been enough to make her think well of him. She'd proved that by answering just as politely as he'd asked. He'd even go so far as to guess that maybe… they were beginning to accept each other?

…Nah.

He turned to see where his human companion had gone to find him sitting inside the cave, using a stick to write something into the soft dirt there. Curious as to what the puppy may be doing, he meandered over, thoughtfully fingering the edges of the leather map he was holding. He looked over the blond's shoulder and tilted his head.

After a few seconds' pause, his eye twitched slightly. "Is that…?"

"A picture of Kankana," Joey finished, nodding. "She's just so pretty, ya know? I mean, I know I can't do anything really impressive without colors, but I can at least get her body shape down." He smiled and tilted his head slightly to see the picture he'd drawn at an angle. "See, I figured I'd do a picture of her like she is on my necklace, but then she mentioned huntin', and I—"

"That's all very nice, mutt, but since when have you been able to draw?" Seto cut in, eyes narrowing. "I wouldn't label you the 'drawing' type."

The blond smiled sadly, tamping out some of the picture by pushing the dirt back into place. "Well, really, I'm not. But sometimes, ya have t' be able to draw t' paint, ya know?"

"You… paint," the older teen deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but only when my grandma comes t' visit," he answered, shrugging, as he wiped what was left of his picture away. "Any paintin' stuff I manage to get, my dad sells. Hell, that's why I keep all my art projects in the art room at school. If I didn't, my dad would probably sell them, too."

Seto hesitated before sitting down next to him. "I've seen one of your paintings, but I didn't really believe it was yours. You should get really good money for that, right?"

The blond snorted bitterly. "As if _I_ ever see a cent! My old man just uses the money for booze. Why d'ya think I'm one of the only _paperboys [1]_ at school? I hafta pay off all the fuckin' debt he gets us into by gamblin' and drinkin' us into bankruptcy!"

The CEO sat up straight as the puzzle that was Joey Wheeler suddenly clicked into place with a 'snap snap snap snap _snap._' Joey was always hungry because he couldn't afford food after his paycheck went toward his debts. Joey was always bruised because his father smacked him around. Joey's clothes were always disheveled and old because he couldn't afford to buy anything new or expensive. Joey was slow to learn because he'd taken too many blows to the head from gang fights and his father. Joey clung to his friends for a lifeline because they were the only light in his life. Joey worked so hard to beat him at Duel Monsters so he could prove not to the _world_ that he could, but to prove it to _himself._

So how could he keep smiling and joking like he did?

"Hey, man, you still there?" Joey asked, snapping in his face worriedly. "Kaiba!"

"How the _hell_ do you keep your mask in place?" the brunet snarled, suddenly furious with the other boy.

He had to work so hard to keep his cold mask in place and his life wasn't _nearly_ as helter-skelter as the other boy's. Hell, he wasn't even _being_ abused anymore, and he still had to act perfect, and that was a hard thing to do in itself! Joey didn't seem to take any strain putting a smile into place, explaining his bruises away in a fight, or laughing and joking like the happy-go-lucky person he played.

Joey blinked at him for a minute, then frowned. "What mask?"

"You're being abused and neglected and your work can't _possibly_ be any fun, so what the hell are you smiling about?!" Seto reiterated, sighing in annoyance.

The blond tilted his head, brows furrowing together in confusion, before his eyes widened as the problem in the CEO's mind clicked. "Oh. …So I've been abused and neglected. I don't really remember anything different, other than before my ma left, he never hit me. He always yelled and threw things, but he never hit me. Then she left, and it was just him and me, and he slapped me around when he got frustrated. It's really not so bad; now that I can hit him back and hurt him he doesn't do it so much anymore."

"…And… you can smile about that," the brunet asked incredulously.

Joey shrugged. "And my job may not have been any fun, but then Yugi's gramps offered me a job at the shop, since I'm always around helping kids pick cards anyway. I quit my old job and started workin' at the shop now, so I like my job." He smiled innocently. "My life may not be the best, but it's certainly not the worst anymore. I'm not _maskin'_ anything. When I'm with my friends, all of the pain just seems t' go away, because I know that if I'm _really_ down on my luck, they'll always be there."

Seto stared at him for a moment, stunned by how deep the blond's loyalty and trust ran for his friends, before he snorted and stood up quickly, walking out of the den. "Whatever, mutt."

"Mm." The blond tilted his head and watched him walk away from the den to sit next to Soumya, who'd until then been napping at the mouth of the den. He then opened his book of Dragon Mastery and buried his nose in it. Joey couldn't help a smile. "What a strange guy."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Students in Japan can only work if they have special permission from the school. In the manga, Jounouchi Katsuya (Joey)'s parents were divorced when he was ten because of his father's gambling addiction and alcoholism. Because of their financial difficulties, he's one of the few students that's given the special permission from school to work. He's always worked hard to get money to pay for his father's debt by taking multiple jobs on.


	5. Chapter 4

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_The blond tilted his head, brows furrowing together in confusion, before his eyes widened as the problem in the CEO's mind clicked. "Oh. …So I've been abused and neglected. I don't really remember anything different, other than before my ma left, he never hit me. He always yelled and threw things, but he never hit me. Then she left, and it was just him and me, and he slapped me around when he got frustrated. It's really not so bad; now that I can hit him back and hurt him he doesn't do it so much anymore."_

"…_And… you can smile about that," the brunet asked incredulously._

_Joey shrugged. "And my job may not have been any fun, but then Yugi's gramps offered me a job at the shop, since I'm always around helping kids pick cards anyway. I quit my old job and started workin' at the shop now, so I like my job." He smiled innocently. "My life may not be the best, but it's certainly not the worst anymore. I'm not __**maskin'**__ anything. When I'm with my friends, all of the pain just seems to go away, because I know that if I'm really down on my luck, they'll always be there."_

_Seto stared at him for a moment, stunned by how deep the blond's loyalty and trust ran for his friends, before he snorted and stood up quickly, walking out of the den. "Whatever, mutt."_

"_Mm." The blond tilted his head and watched him walk away from the den to sit next to Soumya, who'd until then been napping at the mouth of the den. He then opened his book of Dragon Mastery and buried his nose in it. Joey couldn't help a smile. "What a strange guy."_

Chapter 4

"Hey, Soumya," Joey asked, crawling up to be face to face to the kirin while still laying on his stomach. "Kaiba says you're smitten with Kankana. Is that true?"

Soumya opened his eyes tiredly, scowling. "One thing I can honestly say about you, your grandmother, _and_ Kankana is that you're either both wide awake and full of energy or passed out asleep. Haven't you ever heard of _napping?_"

"Yeah, don't do it often," he admitted, shrugging, before poking the mythical creature in the nose. "So, are ya smitten with Kankana?"

"I believe she's _pretty._ I also believe she's _intelligent._" The dragon-deer narrowed his eyes. "Now leave me be, you annoying little creature."

"Nah uh, ya didn't answer my question!" Joey exclaimed, scowling. "It's a yes or no question! It's not like I'm askin' ya whether you're sexin' her up or anything!"

Soumya's eyes flew wide open. "W-w-what!"

The blond narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Wait. _…Are_ ya sexin' her up?"

"_Absolutely not!_" the kirin exclaimed indignantly. "What's wrong with you?!"

"Then answer my question!"

"_Fine!_ I'm smitten with Kankana! _Leave me be!_"

Joey grinned but slunk back into the den obediently, deciding he had bothered the poor creature enough. After a small pause though, he hesitantly asked, "Soumya?"

Soumya huffed and gruffly answered, "What do you want?!"

"Um… This 'Akuju' guy… Is he really scary lookin'?"

The kirin frowned and looked over his shoulder at him. "…You mean… is he a beast in form?" When the boy nodded meekly, he sighed and closed his eyes again. "No. On human standards, he's actually very good-looking."

The blond rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "Tch, the bad guys are always hot."

Seto snorted. "Marik? Noa?"

"Eh." He waved his head slightly. "Marik, on a crazy, dangerous sort of level, yeah. …And do I _look_ like I'd do a kid?!"

"…Gozaburo?"

Joey paused, stunned, then sighed and stood up. "I'm… gonna go throw up."

Seto smirked in amusement, earning himself a disapproving glare from Soumya. "That is _beyond_ sick. …And _so_ not nice."

The brunet shrugged. "It made _me_ happy."

Hearing a retching sound from behind a bush, they both looked toward it in surprise before Soumya recoiled slightly in disgust. "Oh dear God, he's actually throwing up!"

"Ah… That actually wasn't my intention."

-x-x-x-

Seto watched the blond's chest rise and fall slowly, frowning thoughtfully. Kankana hadn't yet returned, and Soumya was beginning to get nervous. He was pacing outside, having told the brunet to try and sleep. The CEO wondered vaguely how Joey could sleep so peacefully, when he didn't know where his friends were or how they were fairing, but something told him that despite his peaceful appearance, he was probably going out of his mind with worry.

Kankana may have been the only thing keeping the blond from running around like a chicken with his head cut off, now that he thought about it.

Joey gasped softly, peaceful face contorting into a pained expression. His breath hitched before coming in more quickly and in short pants. It was as if something was pressing on his chest. The brunet frowned, but he figured it to just be a bad dream or something.

Until the blond's eyes shot open, and it was clear that he was _really_ having trouble getting air into his lungs. He whimpered weakly, tears forming in his eyes, before something caught his bottom lip in its teeth and bit down, drawing a little blood and causing the poor teen to cry out weakly in pain.

Seto watched in horrified fascination as the blond's shirt was shoved upward by an invisible force, the smaller teen still gasping for air that seemed to be having a hard time getting into his body. He let out a yelp as whatever had bit his lip bit down on one of his nipples and tossed his head back, a few tears escaping his eyes and rolling down his cheeks as the invisible creature sucked at the wound it had just inflicted. His body trembled with the want to move, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift his arms or legs. He cried out again as the creature gave his other nipple the same cruel punishment.

Seto snapped out of the shock he'd been in and immediately shot over to the smaller teen, knocking whatever it was off him clumsily and gathering him into his arms. Joey sobbed and hid his face in the older teen's chest, still trembling, but glad he could finally breathe and move as he wished.

The brunet could only glare as a demonic creature appeared in front of him, snarling angrily that its victim had been taken away. Its skin was dark brown and covered in coarse hair, and its fingers had webbing between them. Large ears protruded from its head like that of an animal and its dark red eyes glittered angrily as it bared its many sharp teeth. It began toward him, ready to fight back for its prey.

Seto let out his own snarl, sounding more like one of the great lizards he controlled than a human as he roared, "_GET OUT!_" When the creature paused to contemplate whether it should continue to be aggressive or just run, he snarled again, throwing a ball of hot black fire at it. "_NOW!_"

The creature let out a screech and bolted out of the small den, leaving him to cradle Joey in his arms like he would Mokuba after a bad dream. He turned his head as he heard an infuriated roar just in time to see Soumya, eyes turning from docile and cheerful green to an incensed crimson before a plume of bright red flame was shot from his mouth. The creature let out a shriek as it was engulfed in flames. The kirin wouldn't let it suffer just that, however, and began stamping on it with his suddenly imposing hooves, crushing the creature's skull with a satisfying crunch.

Once the creature was left to burn until it was ash safely, he rushed into the den and circled the two humans before curling up around them, a single, ruby-colored eye watching the entrance of the den as he gently nuzzled the still trembling blond. "Are you alright, Joseph?"

Joey sobbed and nodded slightly, then buried his face in the brunet's chest again, clinging to his black turtleneck like a lifeline. Seto closed his eyes and sighed, beginning to rub comforting circles on the small of the blond's back. It was almost sweet, how the smaller boy had cuddled up to him for safety and comfort, but the brunet's face twisted into a dark scowl as he remembered the frightened, desperate expression the other sported during the attack.

He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have his chest crushed as he was sleeping and waking up only to be molested. His eyes narrowed in thought. Akuju must have done this, must have gotten the creature to attack the blond to begin to break him and make him easier to manipulate. It was low and a cowardly way to begin his plan of taking over the light.

And he was a businessman saying this.

"You'll be okay, puppy," Seto stated softly, and the blond snuggled closer to him as he leaned back to rest against Soumya's side. "You've always been okay before." He ran a hand through the smaller teen's soft hair and couldn't help a miniscule smile. "Just go back to sleep. We won't let anything bad happen to you again."

Joey looked up at him with hesitant, watery amber eyes, then hid his face in the brunet's coat and nodded before falling into a restless slumber. He shivered only once before the older teen was shrugging off his trench coat and wrapping it securely around him. Soumya sighed and laid his head on the ground.

The CEO decided he knew just how he felt; like he'd failed to protect someone who'd depended on him and angry that he couldn't have made the damned creature suffer more.

-x-x-x-

Joey whimpered slightly as he woke up before looking up slowly to find his rival's peaceful, sleeping face. He couldn't help a smile; apparently, the brunet wasn't tough all the time. He tried to sit up and frowned when he found that he was wrapped up tightly in something warm. He squirmed slightly, trying to at least free his arms.

"It's not quite light outside, Joseph. Please don't wake Seto," Soumya ordered quietly, looking up at him with tired green eyes. "Besides, you've been attacked by an _alp [1]._ Kankana is going to want to give you a looking over."

"Is that what that thing was called?" he asked softly, frowning. "It scared the crap outta me."

"Don't worry. We've killed it." The kirin smiled. "Seto got quite upset with it, if you'll remember."

The blond blushed but smiled just the same, for some reason feeling pleased that the usually icy CEO had been worried about him. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Soumya curled his tail around the two humans protectively. "We're lucky it didn't hurt you too badly."

Joey winced and instinctively covered his bruised nipples inside his cocoon of trench coat. "What the hell was with that thing, anyway?"

"It's a sort of incubus," the dragon-deer replied, scowling. "Though it's rare for an alp to want to have sex with its victims. They usually just cause you nightmares and feed on dreams. Seto and I have decided that Akuju must have sent it after you to make you easier to manipulate."

The blond shuddered and snuggled closer to Seto unconsciously. He had no doubt that if the alp had had its way with him, he'd be puppy putty in Akuju's hands to manipulate as he wished. The older teen grunted softly as he was accidentally nudged in the stomach before linking his arms around the blond to hold him still and pull him firmly into his lap.

Joey blushed and peeked up at him from beneath his bangs quickly, but the brunet was still asleep, and looking quite comfy as he buried his face in the mop of hair in front of him. He squeaked as the larger teen pulled him closer and closed his eyes as the other began to shift uncomfortably against Soumya's side.

He jolted up with a hiss. "Ow! Jesus _Christ!_" The brunet rubbed the small of his back and winced, then turned a glare on the kirin blinking at him innocently. "Why are you so bony?!"

Soumya sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm so _sorry,_ Seto. I'll try and fatten myself up just for you."

"_God,_ right into my _spine—_" he began, before he realized he was still holding the blond firmly against him. "…Then again, the puppy is bonier than you are. He was elbowing me all night through my coat."

"Hmm, and you're complaining about me," the kirin muttered, standing up. He yawned widely, stretching, before accidentally swinging his tail to smack the brunet in the face. He failed to notice, however, and meandered out of the tiny den, ignoring the human as he sputtered before beginning a string of colorful words as he shook his fist after him.

Seto glared after him before turning to the blond in his lap, beginning to unwrap his coat from around the smaller teen's body. After a few minutes of tugging and muttering curses, he found the blond struggling to get out of his coat as well. He couldn't help but smirk in amusement as the smaller teen growled and struggled to free himself.

Both jumped as a dry, feminine voice called out, "I've brought the food, if you two are finished and ready to cook it."

"I can't get out!" Joey exclaimed in frustration, to which Kankana and Soumya began to laugh. "It's not funny! Kaiba, help me out!"

"I don't know how you got so far _in,_" the brunet replied, though continued to try and free him.

-x-x-x-

Apparently, the Dragon Master had cared more for the Golden One than he'd anticipated. He didn't dare try to send another alp; they'd be expecting that. No, what he needed was to use the Dragon Master's affection for the Golden One against him. Perhaps he should make him choose between the great beasts he cared for or the blond boy that he denied himself the pleasure of dominating.

That was something he didn't understand; the Dragon Master was powerful, and he obviously enjoyed that power, so why not gain more of it by making the Golden One his bitch and forcing the other to submit to him, giving him all of his power? Did he have so much power that he felt himself above the Golden One? If so, how did he get it?

But never mind that now. He had to think of a way to get the blond to weaken, to make it easier for him to do what the Dragon Master would not. He wanted the blond to submit to him, whimper and crawl like the dog he was in search of his affection. He wanted the blond to do as he bid him, whatever it was, whether it was to destroy an entire species or to put his ass up in the air to be fucked raw.

…He knew of a creature that would be willing to break him, as long he had a meal waiting for it afterward.

-x-x-x-

Kankana raised a furry brow at the two humans as they ate their now cooked meat. "So? How did you finally get out of the coat?"

"Shut up!" Joey exclaimed, blushing. He paused in thought, then lifted his portion of food. "What'd ya say this was?"

"Gilled antelope," she replied, ripping at her own (uncooked) portion of fallen animal.

The blond paused before his nose wrinkled slightly. "So am I eatin' a fish or a deer?"

"You are eating _food,_ which is all that should matter," Seto stated, scowling at him. After a second thought, he asked, "Does it taste like fish or deer?"

The blond frowned. "Well… deer, I guess, but—"

"Then you're eating a deer. Now _eat!_"

Joey scowled at him but bit into his meat again just the same. "Jerk. …Where'd Soumya go?"

Kankana waved her paw to dismiss the issue. "Vegetarian. He's off nibbling berries and whatnot." She munched on the food in her mouth for a few minutes, then turned to the brunet. "Who's nearer to us, Seto? Seiryū or Suzaku?"

Seto lifted the map so he could look at it and tilted his head slightly, munching slowly on his mouthful of meat. "…Suzaku."

"Then we'll travel to see Suzaku first," she decided, nodding to herself, before turning her head in surprise as she heard a timid yelp. "Oh. Well hello."

Both humans turned in surprise to find a vixen and her two kits watching them from behind a bush. They were further surprised when the inugami bit into the carcass of the gilled antelope and began dragging it over to them. She dropped it in front of the bush, then walked over to lay beside Joey, licking her lips loudly before dropping her head.

Joey frowned and shook her shoulder softly. "Kankana? If you're tired, we can let ya take a nap."

She grunted but didn't open her eyes. "'m fine. I went for nine days before I died. Three days with only a few mouthfuls of food is okay."

Before either of the humans could argue, Soumya had come back, looking as spry and alert as ever. "Are we almost ready to go?"

Kankana snorted and got to her feet quickly. "As soon as the two humans finish."

"Ya say that as if we can't eat while you guys walk!" Joey exclaimed, springing onto his guardian's back. "Let's go!"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] An alp is a nightmare creature from German folklore, the name literally a variation of the word "elf." An alp is typically male (mara and mart appear to be the female form of this creature) and its victims are usually female, though they have been known to attack males. It attacks at night and creates horrible nightmares. An alp attack is called an "Alpdrüke" which means "elf pressure."

An Alpdrüke is when an alp sits on top of a sleeper's chest until it becomes heavier and heavier until it awakens the terrified (and breathless) dreamer. They awake terrified and unable to move under the alp's weight. This could have been an early explanation for sleep apnea, sleep paralysis, or night terrors.

It is said that when an alp attacks in a sexual manner, it is extremely unpleasant (Wth? Duh!). These sorts of attacks are rare, however, and the victim is more often female than male. They are sometimes compared to vampires because they have been known to drink blood from the nipples of men and young children, but again, the preferred victim is female. They also prefer the taste of breast milk.


	6. Chapter 5

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Both humans turned in surprise to find a vixen and her two kits watching them from behind a bush. They were further surprised when the inugami bit into the carcass of the gilled antelope and began dragging it over to them. She dropped it in front of the bush, then walked over to lay beside Joey, licking her lips loudly before dropping her head._

_Joey frowned and shook her shoulder softly. "Kankana? If you're tired, we can let ya take a nap."_

_She grunted but didn't open her eyes. "'m fine. I went for nine days before I died. Three days with only a few mouthfuls of food is okay."_

_Before either of the humans could argue, Soumya had come back, looking as spry and alert as ever. "Are we almost ready to go?"_

_Kankana snorted and got to her feet quickly. "As soon as the two humans finish."_

"_Ya say that as if we can't eat while you guys walk!" Joey exclaimed, springing onto his guardian's back. "Let's go!"_

Chapter 5

The walk to Suzaku's temple was tedious. As a bird, the phoenix's temple was up high, perched upon a cliff. There were enough rocks and boulders around that Kankana and Soumya could easily bound their way up, but not until they knew that Joey and Seto were firmly in place on their backs. That was taken care of on the first leap.

As he was jarred and nearly thrown from his back, the brunet had lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the kirin's neck. Joey had done the exact same thing, except he'd also let out a shriek. A girly one. From that point on, the two teens clung on for dear life.

Once they reached the top of the cliff and onto flat ground, Joey fell from Kankana's back to love the ground. "_Solid land!_"

The inugami snorted. "Joseph, please. You were safe on my back."

"…Shut up," he muttered, not getting up from being sprawled across the ground.

She snorted again, then looked up at the large stone temple and frowned. "Strange…"

The temple was reminiscent to something from Rome. Its large roof was held up by wide pillars of warm, tan stone. Just inside the protection of the pillars was a door leading inside to a darkened room, where it could be assumed there was more of the tan stone. There were unlit torches on either side of the door, as if waiting to be lit.

It was beautiful, but the blond couldn't help a shudder of dread.

"What's strange?" Seto asked, sliding from Soumya's back onto the sand-rock ground. "It's a big building made of rock. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo."

Soumya snorted at him reproachfully. "Don't speak about Lord Suzaku's temple like that, Seto. It's unbecoming of you and Suzaku could burn you to a crisp."

Joey stood and began toward Kankana, the feeling of dread growing as the thought that maybe Suzaku wasn't there struck his mind. "What's strange, Kankana?"

Kankana snorted a third time, though not in humor; this time it was to get a scent of the land. "The torches aren't burning with the lord's ever lasting flames. That only happens when he hasn't returned to the temple in quite some time." Her brows furrowed together in concern. "…Maybe we should go inside and check."

The hair on the back of his neck stood up as the blond heard this suggestion. He knew without a doubt that something bad was in there. No good could come of it. But how to voice that worry? How—

He let out a squeal as a burst of black fire went rushing past him to hit one of the torches, lighting up the doorway and slightly past it to show another pillar—thinner than the ones outside—bearing another torch. Another burst of fire lit that one to bath the inside of the temple further in light.

There was a moment of silence before Seto turned and raised an eyebrow at the blond. "You're sure making a lot of girly noises today, mutt."

"Would ya believe that I believed my life threatened each time I did?" Joey asked, scowling at him, before quickly following Kankana as she made her way inside. "Wait up!"

"Keep up with me then."

Joey trotted after her, glancing around nervously as, one by one, the brunet behind him lit each torch they found. Once the door was just a tiny pinprick of light in their lines of vision, he took a step away from the inugami and began toward one of the pillars to touch a picture of a bird carved into the hard stone.

Seeing the look of confusion on the blond's face, Seto explained, "Suzaku is the Vermillion Bird, Lord of the South. He represents the element of fire and the season of summer. He's the king of birds." He paused in thought, frowning as he tried to remember something. "He corresponds with seven mansions of the moon, as do all of the four beasts. They are… well, ghost, willow, star, extended net, wings, and chariot."

The smaller teen blinked at him for a moment, then smiled innocently. "I don't really know what that last part means, but I get the rest. So he's a phoenix then?"

"He's compared to one often, yes," Soumya answered, nodding.

"Oh." He tilted his head, then began to walk back toward them. He let out a shriek as a wall suddenly sprang up between him and his companions. "Kankana! Kaiba!" He went to the wall and began to pound on it. "Soumya! Someone help me!"

Kankana, hearing the desperation in her charge's voice, snarled and ran along the wall, trying to find a corner to turn and get to him. Soumya and Seto could only watch in horror as another wall flew up, cutting her off from them. Seto turned to the kirin, desperate to stay with him, only to find another wall fly up between them.

He was alone. Horribly, coldly alone.

He glared at the dead-end he was faced with, then turned and began walking, running his hand along the wall to guide him in the dim lighting.

-x-x-x-

Joey let out a sob, still pounding on the wall. "Don't leave me! Don't leave me…!" He looked around hesitantly, wincing as he found himself in a corner with only one way to go. The feeling of dread grew exponentially.

But he didn't have any other way to go.

He began walking slowly, the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach growing with each and every step. He could sometimes hear a roar or a howl, but they were too far away for him to be sure if they were his friends or not. He winced again as he felt someone's eyes watching his every move, freezing in fear. When nothing attacked, he continued on, curling in on himself as he walked further.

There was a loud, bellowing roar before he was thrown to the ground. His first instinct was to scream bloody murder as he saw the monster on top of him. Then, he began to struggle, but the bull-headed man was too strong.

He screamed again as he was roughly thrown over the _Minotaur's [1]_ shoulder, terrified of what would happen when they got to the monster's destination. "No! _No!_ Put me down, put me _down!_"

Of course, the Minotaur would do no such thing.

-x-x-x-

Seto tilted his head, frowning, as he sensed for Soumya. It had been in the book he'd read, but he just couldn't seem to find his presence. Perhaps it was the magic in the walls…

"No! _No!_ Put me down, put me _down!_"

He froze in surprise, then turned his head to try and feel through the wall the golden aura of the blond. He'd sensed it earlier when he was trying out some of the powers he'd read about, and he found it hard _not_ to find it sometimes.

The blond's aura was flaring larger then smaller, frantic and terrified. Feeling the aura fade away, he hurried after it frantically.

"Leggo of me ya stupid—_AAAHHHH!_"

He winced slightly; the cry had obviously been one of pain. He was distinctly reminded of the alp and narrowed his eyes, growling angrily. This must have been Akuju's next attack to break the poor blond. Suzaku wasn't here because he'd been driven out, because _obviously_ they'd go to the lords of the land first for any information.

"No! Please! _Ah!_ Oh God!"

"_Shit!_" he hissed, glaring at the wall that had come up in front of him. He'd have to cut away from the blond by going left before finding him again from there.

He took the sharp left at a run, coat flying out behind him like a cape as he rushed down the narrow path to find the blond's aura again. It only took a few more minutes for him to find it again, and he chased after it with new purpose.

-x-x-x-

Joey sobbed as he was thrown onto the hard floor, trying to shove the Minotaur away. The beast merely slapped him across the face, snarling, before grasping his shirt and tearing it open. The blond, stunned from the harsh strike, whimpered and laid back, tears rolling down his cheeks from his eyes.

The Minotaur growled, clawing at the boy's jeans, before finally ripping them apart. The blond winced, closing his eyes tightly as the bull-headed man slipped its hands between his thighs, trying to pry them apart.

At that, Joey seemed to be jolted back into awareness. He let out a shriek and pushed at the beast's shoulders, trying to force it off. "No! God, no! Please—"

The monster roared in frustration, wanting to just kill the boy and devour him, but knowing that its master would be angry and would most likely kill it; if not that, it would get beaten, and it wouldn't earn its easy meal.

"No! No, please! Nonononononono—" The blond gasped as the Minotaur finally pried his thighs apart and closed his eyes tightly, biting his bottom lip. "Nooo… Please don't…!" He gasped again as he felt something hard pressing between his legs, probing for his tiny entrance. "Oh God!" He yelped as the beast flipped him onto his stomach, grasping his hips to lift his rear closer to its hard cock. "Ah-!"

He let out another yelp as he was suddenly flung to the side. It hurt, but he was certain that the pain he would have felt if the Minotaur had… had…

Joey whimpered as he was suddenly pulled close to something and immediately began to squirm, too exhausted from his struggles earlier to fight anymore. "…No… Don't…"

"Shhh… Puppy, it's okay…"

"Kaiba-!" He looked up quickly, sobbing in relief, then flinched as the Minotaur surged to its feet, having recovered from its electric shock. "Oh God…!"

Seto growled, hugging the blond closer, and glared at the beast. When the monster charged at him, though, all he could do was keep the smaller teen tightly in his embrace, trying to protect him from the messy and most likely painful death coming at them.

Then there was a snarl, and a flash of golden red like rusted gold.

Kankana growled, putting herself between the two humans and the Minotaur, as she warned it away with her raised hackles and bared teeth. The Minotaur snarled at her and continued charging. She roared angrily and lunged at it, digging her teeth into the monster's shoulder and using her weight to throw it to the ground.

The Minotaur had no chance after that—for dogs were opportunistic, and the inugami was no exception—as she bit and clawed at it, tearing it apart bit by bit. Finally, she sunk her teeth deep into its neck, shaking it roughly. The beast, in one last attempt at life, turned its head and rammed its horn into her chest and through her shoulder. She merely bit down harder.

Once the monster stopped struggling, she let it drop to the ground, turning to limp over to the humans. Seto could tell she was in terrible pain. Her golden-red fur was matted with blood still flowing steadily from the wound the bull's horn had punctured her with. But, despite that pain, her eyes were set with a determined fire, and her jaw was set in a firm line.

She stepped up beside them and turned, offering her back for them to mount. Closer now, he could see the blood dripping to the ground was thicker at some moments, then thinner. With every beat of her ancient heart, her blood was being forced out of the wound harder, faster, and she wasn't doing anything about it.

Seto stood and frowned, watching as her knees quaked, but she seemed determined to take her charge out of the dangerous place to safety. He hesitated for only a moment before setting the trembling boy in his arms on her back.

She cried out weakly as her knees buckled and tumbled forward, landing in the puddle of her blood and whimpering as she landed on her wounded chest and shoulder. Joey made a noise of obvious dismay and stood quickly, so as to pull the weight off of her. All the two humans could do was watch as the crimson life continued to spread across the stone floor.

-x-x-x-

_Damn that Kankana to the fieriest pits of hell!_

The Golden One would have been broken if it hadn't been for that stupid Dragon Master and her! He couldn't chance killing the Dragon Master—he knew he could never contend with infuriated dragons if they found out he had murdered him—but luckily, the Minotaur had taken her out. She was at least crippled if not dead now.

But how to get past the Dragon Master? He obviously cared about the blond. What should he send after them now that could hurt the blond as well as maybe take out the Dragon Master without being traced back to him?

Ah, wait. The Golden One's family had always revered canines as their companions and spirit animals. If he could get just one canine to turn on the Golden One, not only would his confidence be broken, but his trust in those that were supposed to care for him would be broken as well.

…He knew of one that would probably help him, now that he thought of it…

-x-x-x-

Soumya glanced back at his silent companion, frowning. When he'd finally found the source of evil magic (a giant glass orb glowing black in the center of the maze) and shattered it, he'd found the brunet human holding Kankana's Golden One to him tightly, staring at the still figure of the fallen inugami. It had taken some prodding and convincing and—dare he say it?—_bribery_ to get the human to set down the blond and help get the dog onto his scaly back.

Now the brunet was trudging behind him, carrying a sleeping Joey. The blond hadn't just drifted off, however; he could still see the tracks of tears on his cheeks. He was trembling and covered in nothing but the larger teen's coat. It was obvious that whatever sleep he was getting, he wasn't getting any rest.

So they walked, bruised, broken, and tired.

"…_Si baer caer…"_

"…_Or, shi myr caer saes…"_

Seto lifted his head, glancing around skeptically. Seeing that Soumya wasn't startled by the voices, however, he focused on following him without losing his grip on Joey.

"…_Tysti… Jhaer iar myr saes eilaer…"_

"_Or!"_

The brunet squeaked in dismay as the kirin suddenly fell, tightening his grip on the smaller boy in his arms. The blond sighed, then fell still in his arms, his expression going from anguished to calm, serene. So sweet, he thought, before pulling him closer. He felt himself relaxing against his will. He didn't like it—he didn't know what was going on.

"_Vaelas… Shi shor saji tasi os o…"_

He groaned weakly, eyes fluttering shut, before he forced them back open. His arms were going weak, though. He fell to his knees and panted softly from the exertion of still moving when his body so wanted to rest, trying to pull the blond closer. Oh, God, he just wanted to fall asleep; at the same time, he wanted to protect the abused teen in his arms.

With the last of his strength, he let out a roar of desperation. Then, he fell forward, covering Joey with his own body protectively; even if they were unconscious, he didn't want the blond to suffer anymore.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] The Minotaur is a creature from Greek mythology. It has the body of a man but the tail and head of a bull. It dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth (an elaborate, maze-like construction) before it was eventually killed by Theseus.

Minos prayed to Poseidon to send him a snow-white bull, as a sign of approval so he could ascend to the throne instead of his brothers. He was to sacrifice the bull in honor of Poseidon but decided to keep it instead because of its beauty. To punish Minos, Poseidon caused Pasiphaë, Minos's wife, to fall madly in love with the bull from the sea, the Cretan Bull. She had Daedalus, the famous architect, make a wooden cow for her. Pasiphaë climbed into the decoy in order to copulate with the white bull. The offspring of their coupling was a monster called the Minotaur.

If… you really feel the need to know more… Wikipedia would be the site for you. O.o Also! The words in the italics? They're not important. :D They're basically saying "Just relax because we'll take care of you."


	7. Chapter 6

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_The brunet squeaked in dismay as the kirin suddenly fell, tightening his grip on the smaller boy in his arms. The blond sighed, then fell still in his arms, his expression going from anguished to calm, serene. So sweet, he thought, before pulling him closer. He felt himself relaxing against his will. He didn't like it—he didn't know what was going on._

"_**Vaelas… Shi shor saji tasi os o…"**_

_He groaned weakly, eyes fluttering shut, before he forced them back open. His arms were going weak, though. He fell to his knees and panted softly from the exertion of still moving when his body so wanted to rest, trying to pull the blond closer. Oh, God, he just wanted to fall asleep; at the same time, he wanted to protect the abused teen in his arms._

_With the last of his strength, he let out a roar of desperation. Then, he fell forward, covering Joey with his own body protectively; even if they were unconscious, he didn't want the blond to suffer anymore._

Chapter 6

Joey's eyes fluttered open slowly, and he moaned, squirming to turn over onto his back. He frowned as he looked around at the walls, wondering what the hell had happened and where he was. Last he knew, Seto had been carrying him through the forest and following Soumya, who'd been carrying the limp body of his inugami—

"_Kankana!_" he yelped, sitting up quickly. Or, at least, he tried to. Something yanked him back down firmly. He blinked for a moment, stunned, then turned his head to find a familiar brunet's peacefully sleeping face just inches from his own. He blushed. "…Kaiba…"

"He refused to let go of you," a soft voice stated, and the blond slowly turned to find smiling golden eyes and white-blond hair. The person's ears came to a point. The person smiled sweetly. "It's good to see you awake."

The human tilted his head innocently. "Who're you?"

The person—obviously an elf, now that he saw her—reached out to brush her cool fingertips over his forehead. "My name is Meldiriel. We saw you and your companions and decided to help you. You were all badly wounded."

Joey paled. "Kaiba?"

"No, physically, he was not hurt," she sighed, frowning. "Though I wish he was. Injuries to the body are much easier to heal than injuries to the soul."

"…Somethin' attacked his soul?" He didn't really understand. He knew that Seto had had his soul forced out of his body—more than once—but it had appeared more or less intact. Perhaps after the Minotaur had fallen…

"Nothing here would do damage to a person's soul." She smiled sadly. "Nothing would dare. Whatever has injured his soul had hurt him very badly. Instead of letting it heal, he merely covered it and went on with his life. …He bandaged a festering wound, if you will," she explained. "We have pulled back all of the coverings and healed his soul as best we could, but there is still a small scar that can only fade with time."

The blond frowned and tilted his head. "When ya say that you've healed his soul—"

"Please, I cannot explain anymore to you," Meldiriel stated softly. "Some of the words I do not know how to translate into this language, and the other words may be too difficult for you to understand. I wish I could help you, but I cannot."

He sighed in defeat, then gasped and tried to sit up again. "I hafta check Kankana—"

She laughed softly despite the earlier grave discussion and reached out to push him back down. "The Guardian Dog? She is healing right now and should not be disturbed. She lost very much of her blood and was nearly dancing with the death."

Joey opened his mouth to question her but shut it quickly when a soft moan was heard. He blushed as the brunet holding him pulled him closer before nuzzling his neck affectionately. "My puppy…"

The blond scowled despite the caring tone used. "Even in his _sleep_ he refers t' me as a dog!"

The elf raised one of her slim, elegant eyebrows and tilted her head slightly. "Why should he do differently? You are the Golden One, are you not? All of your family before you has been associated with canines. Even the dark canines—harbingers of death and attackers of humans—have bowed to your ancestors. You can transform into a canine at any time you wish. Canines will always spring to your rescue if you are in danger." She pursed her lips into a frown. "It is a compliment he is paying to you by calling you puppy, Joseph."

"But—" the blond began, but the larger teen began to move, groaning as he struggled to sit up.

"Oh _God…_ I feel like someone wrung my insides out…"

Meldiriel laughed, shoulders trembling slightly. "That shall last for a few hours, I think."

Seto blinked at her for a moment, frowning, then sighed and looked down at the blond he was currently leaning over. "What have you gotten us into _now,_ puppy?"

"He has had nothing to do with it. He had his soul healed just as well as you. The only reason he is not feeling as differently as you is because he did not have the time to cover up his wound like you had." The beautiful woman frowned. "I do not know what it was that gave you such a large wound, but if you ask nicely, perhaps the Guardian Dog will take care of the cause."

The brunet narrowed his eyes and sat up. "The cause has already been taken care of. I do not _need_ protecting. After all, I—" He ducked as something came flying at his head, then let out a sigh as he saw what it was. "Oh, _God._ And I thought the Fairy Dragon was bad."

The little dragon hovering in front of him was quite cute; in fact, it was cuter than the Fairy Dragon. It was smaller than the other dragon and a dark, dandelion yellow color, except for its stomach, which was striped a darker color yellow and dark brown. It had big green eyes and a little yellow nose, and small catlike ears on top of its head. It also had a very large smile and a delighted squeak, rubbing up against the Dragon Master's cheek affectionately.

Joey couldn't help a delighted squeak as well. "_Petite Dragon [1]!_" he exclaimed, holding his hands up from his position of still laying on the bed. He let out a happy coo as the dragon, always willing for extra affection, immediately came down to nuzzle and kiss his cheek. "Aw! Look at 'im, Kaiba! He's so cute!"

"You summoned him in a last attempt to protect yourself and Joseph," Meldiriel stated, unable to help a smile as the Petite Dragon started doing flips through the air. "I assume it was the only one close enough to come to your aid."

Seto sighed and rubbed his temple absently. "That sounds about right."

The blond cooed again as the Petite Dragon smiled at him like it was laughing. "You're such a cute little dragon. I think I'll keep ya!"

"I… think he should go back to where he belongs," the brunet sighed, feeling only slightly guilty at the downcast look the other teen got at that.

The elf smiled sweetly and stood. "Petite Dragons are wanderers, though I cannot imagine how this little one got separated from its kin. They usually travel in groups of four or five. I am sure he will be happy to travel with you, Joseph."

The small teen let out a 'squee' and pulled the tiny dragon into a tight hug. "Ya hear that! We can stick together 'til ya find your family! I'm gonna call ya Joy!"

Seto opened his mouth to make the comment that _this_ particular Petite Dragon was _male_ and therefore deserved a male _name_, but he cut himself off as the tiny yellow dragon squealed its approval of its name and began doing flips again. Well, it appeared to have no objections to the female name. He wouldn't comment on it.

"There are clothes at the end of the bed for you to change into," Meldiriel stated, catching their attention again. "Once you are finished, you may come outside. I will wait to show you to the dining hall."

"Uh… Huh?" Joey looked down, frowning. He had no shirt on; that was to be expected, because he rarely ever slept with a shirt on. He peeked under the blankets, then gasped and looked up quickly, blushing. "Eep!"

The elf laughed and left the room. "Please be swift."

The blond immediately reached out to grab one of the light, almost sheer shirts sitting at the end of the bed and hurriedly put it on. It was obvious that the shirts in question were for someone larger than him; then again, compared to Meldiriel, he was a scrawny little kid. Perhaps all elves were tall and slender with wide shoulders. All he knew, however, was that the shirt fell to his mid-thighs and one side of it slid off his shoulder a little. The sleeves came down to just past his palm, making him feel as if he was a small child walking around in one of his father's shirts.

"Am I tiny or are the elves big?" he asked, looking up at Seto, who was just grabbing the shirt.

The brunet looked at him skeptically, then shrugged slightly and pulled the shirt over his head. It fell down smoothly to reach the top of his hips, and the shoulders were neither too wide nor too thin. The damn shirt fit him perfectly.

He couldn't help a smirk as he turned to the smaller teen. "You're tiny."

Joey scowled at him, placing his hands on his hips. "Laugh it up, ya big jerk! Just 'cause you're bigger than me—" He cut himself off as Joy suddenly flew slowly past his face, doing pinwheels in the air. Against his will, he began to laugh. "Silly little dragon!"

Seto rolled his eyes and grabbed both pairs of pants, trying to figure out if one pair was smaller than the other. Luckily, one pair seemed to be about two sizes smaller. He tossed that pair back onto the bed and began putting the pants on as Joy continued to distract the blond with his aerobatics. He glanced over at the blond and frowned slightly.

He'd never really realized how thin and slender the smaller teen was. He was well muscled, from years of labor and gang activity, but his tone was also slightly softened in an effeminate way. He was mostly legs, which were long and lean, and slightly tan. He supposed that that was because it was summer and the blond had worn shorts a few times. The blond had a short torso, though, which was probably why the shirt came down so far. Well, that and the fact that it was hanging off of one of his slender shoulders, exposing his collarbone enticingly.

He let his eyes drift up to the blond's face, unable to help a miniscule smile as he noticed the boy's eyes sparkling like they hadn't in days. His face was lit up like a Christmas tree and it could possibly be the first time since they'd been sucked into Mythaven that such honest, unrestrained joy was on his face.

He looked gorgeous like that.

Grunting slightly at the surprising thought, Seto grabbed the other pair of pants and threw it at him. "Put these on, mutt. That elf is waiting for us."

"Wah!" Joey flailed for a moment in surprise, then pulled the pants off his head and scowled at him. "Take a chill pill, moneybags!" As a second thought, he added, "And her name's Meldiriel."

"Whatever. Just hurry up and get dressed so we can go find Soumya and Kankana."

At the mention of the inugami, the blond's face fell, and he lowered his gaze to the floor. "…Meldiriel said that she shouldn't be disturbed 'cause she was so close to dyin'. She's healin' now."

Seto frowned, then before he could stop himself, reached out and ruffled the smaller teen's hair. "She'll pull through, puppy. She's lived for years. Surely you don't expect an angry bull to get the best of her."

Joey sighed softly but nodded and put his pants on. After a moment of thought, he lunged forward and slid his arms around the brunet's waist. "I never thanked ya for savin' me from the Minotaur. Thank ya, Kaiba. You saved my life."

"Ah…" The brunet blushed lightly and patted him on the head. "It's okay, puppy. I wasn't just going to let some psychopath hurt you so he could take advantage of you."

The smaller boy whimpered softly and nuzzled his chest. "I'm sorry, Kaiba. You've been savin' my ass since we got here and I've been nothin' but trouble to ya."

"That's not true." Seto hesitated before sliding his arms around the blond's slim waist. "You're worth all of the trouble. Don't ever think that you're not. After all, you'd have to be pretty important for an inugami to serve your family for… many greats."

He glanced downward at the smaller teen's rear, frowning. His pants were riding mighty low on his slightly curvy hips. He hoped all elves were as pleasant and kind as Meldiriel. He hated the thought of having to hurt one of them for trying to seduce his puppy. After all, the poor boy had been through a lot in just a few days. First he was molested by an alp, and then almost raped by the Minotaur. It was outrageous the lengths Akuju was going to just to hurt his puppy and make him easier to manipulate.

Realizing that he was still holding Joey, he pulled his hands back and cleared his throat, blushing lightly. "I believe Meldiriel is waiting for us. Isn't that what she said?"

The blond almost seemed disappointed to let go of him but did so nonetheless. "Okay."

He ushered the blond toward the door when he showed no signs of moving. "Come on. They've been kind to us; we shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Okay, okay! I'm goin'!" The smaller teen looked over his shoulder quickly. "Come on, Joy! Let's go eat!" The dragon squealed happily and began flapping after them.

Opening the door and watching as the blond humbly thanked the kind elf for caring for them and getting them up to date, Seto frowned, confused. Had he called the other boy _his_ puppy?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Hey, here's where you can find a picture of the Petite Dragon. I'll give you a link for the Fairy Dragon, too. They're so cute! Just put the symbols in place of the words! yugioh(dot)wikia(dot)com(slash)wiki(slash)Petit(underscore)Dragon

yugioh(dot)wikia(dot)com(slash)wiki(slash)Fairy(underscore)Dragon


	8. Chapter 7

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_He glanced downward at the smaller teen's rear, frowning. His pants were riding mighty low on his slightly curvy hips. He hoped all elves were as pleasant and kind as Meldiriel. He hated the thought of having to hurt one of them for trying to seduce his puppy. After all, the poor boy had been through a lot in just a few days. First he was molested by an alp, and then almost raped by the Minotaur. It was outrageous the lengths Akuju was going to just to hurt his puppy and make him easier to manipulate._

_Realizing that he was still holding Joey, he pulled his hands back and cleared his throat, blushing lightly. "I believe Meldiriel is waiting for us. Isn't that what she said?"_

_The blond almost seemed disappointed to let go of him but did so nonetheless. "Okay."_

_He ushered the blond toward the door when he showed no signs of moving. "Come on. They've been kind to us; we shouldn't keep them waiting."_

"_Okay, okay! I'm goin'!" The smaller teen looked over his shoulder quickly. "Come on, Joy! Let's go eat!" The dragon squealed happily and began flapping after them._

_Opening the door and watching as the blond humbly thanked the kind elf for caring for them and getting them up to date, Seto frowned, confused. Had he called the other boy his puppy?_

Chapter 7

Joy let out a delighted squeal as it saw the large banquet table filled with food and began diving at various things, stopping just a few inches from the dishes to fly back up and dive at another one. It was as if it couldn't decide which beautiful dish it wanted to destroy and devour.

Joey's eyes nearly dropped out of his head. "Holy shit! Is that all for us?"

Meldiriel smiled. "We were not sure what humans eat, so we made a little bit of everything. I hope everything is too your liking."

"Where's Soumya?" Seto asked, looking up at the white-haired elf. "I thought he was okay."

"The kirin is better than he has ever been. He is watching over the Guardian Dog." Her smile faded. "His soul was wounded as well, but it started healing when he was told that the Guardian Dog would live. I believe that he is in love with her."

"Smitten as a kitten with a ball of yarn," the brunet muttered, rolling his eyes. He turned and found his blond companion staring at him. Scowling, he asked, "What?"

"Didja really just say that?" the blond asked, raising an eyebrow. "'Smitten as a kitten with a ball of yarn.' Did that really come outta your mouth?"

"Got a problem with that?" he asked icily.

"No! I just… never expected anything cute to come outta your mouth." Joey's lips twitched slightly, wanting to smile but knowing it could ultimately lead to his death. "…Sorta like I never expected ya to summon two tiny and adorable dragons in a row."

The brunet snarled and reached out to grab his neck. "I'll kill you!"

"Eep!" The smaller teen dodged away with a squeak. "Kaiba!"

They probably would have continued dodging and/or trying to kill each other had it not been for a surprised squeal and then a splash. Both boys and the elf turned quickly to find Joy flailing about in a large pitcher of red liquid. Seto, the fastest to react, reached out for the dragon and snatched it out of the drink right as it began to sink.

Joy hiccupped and looked around blearily, disoriented. After a moment, the brunet loosened his grip on the tiny dragon, allowing it to take off into the air. It flew only a few feet before it went in a whole different direction. Then, it landed in a bowl of tapioca pudding.

Joey gasped and grabbed it quickly. "Oh no! Was that wine? Poor Joy! He's drunk!"

Seto blinked as the dragon looked around in confusion, covered in white pudding and perplexed beyond belief. Then its tongue shot out and licked away some of the pudding. He winced as a strange feeling began bubbling up in his chest. It was almost familiar, like it had happened before, but he couldn't imagine what it was. He felt, though, that if he opened his mouth, it might alleviate some of the discomfort.

The blond twitched slightly as he heard a slightly unfamiliar sound, then slowly lifted his head to look at the taller boy. His eyes widened as he saw the brunet's shoulders shaking and a smile on his face. He'd never seen him laugh like _that_. Like, not as a psychopathic evil guy who was glad to see his enemies/rivals/friends in pain.

He didn't comment, though. He merely smiled and sat at the table, grabbing one of the white cloth napkins to clean off of the dirty dragon. He heard the laugh stop abruptly and figured that the brunet had realized what he was doing. He continued to clean the dragon as he heard the brunet sit next to him, deciding not to comment on it. If what Meldiriel had said was true, and the brunet's soul _had_ been healed, he probably wouldn't appreciate being called on it.

Once the tiny dragon was cleaned and its eyes weren't so fuzzy, the blond released him and reached for a croissant. "Thank you for the food."

Milderiel, who had stood by silently to observe and make sure that the two boys' souls had been healed correctly and as completely as possible, smiled and nodded slightly. "You are welcome. Eat to your hearts' contents. I will go and check on the Guardian Dog. Do not worry if anyone else comes in. They know who you are and will not bother you." She turned to go. "I will return shortly."

Joy fluttered into the air, still clumsily weaving from side to side. As it began to flutter over the food again, Seto reached out and snatched it out of the air. "We don't need you falling into any more alcoholic beverages."

"Come on, Joy. I'll share my croissant with ya," Joey stated, pulling the fluffy, flaky pastry into small pieces. When the dragon merely blinked at him, he opened his mouth wide. "Say 'aaah.'" As if understanding this, the dragon smiled and opened its mouth, eyes shut in expectant delight. The blond dropped a piece of croissant in the gaping mouth and watched the dragon chew before opening its mouth for more. "Well, aren't you a cute eater," he commented, smiling, as he took a piece of croissant for himself.

Seto watched the two silently, munching on… something. He really didn't think anything of it, as he'd eat what he was told to when told to do it; too many times Mokuba had forced food on him for him to care. No, he was more interested in the blond's interactions with the Petite Dragon.

They shared the same wide smile. Their eyes, though different colors, glittered the exact same way when they were happy. They seemed to have a genuine liking for each other. Joy tried to keep the human happy by being silly and Joey tried to keep the dragon happy by allowing himself to be distracted. They seemed to have some sort of silent truce.

Joey looked up at him and blinked, frowning, before lifting his hand to his face. "What? Is somethin' on my face?" He tilted his head, brows furrowing together. "What're you lookin' at?"

"You and Joy," the brunet replied honestly. The dragon and human looked at him as if he was insane, then shrugged and went back to eating.

A few moments later, Meldiriel reappeared, smiling as if she knew something great and was about to tell someone that would really care about the information. She turned to Joey. "The Guardian Dog has awakened and is asking to see you. We are only allowing one being in to see her at a time right now, so once you are finished eating I will take you to her room and once Soumya leaves you are free to go in."

Joey jumped up quickly. "I'm finished!"

The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes, reaching out to grab his arm and yank him back down. "No, you're not. Sit down and eat, mutt."

"I did eat! Come _on,_ Kaiba!" He tugged on the older boy's fingers, trying to get him to loosen his unwavering grip. "I wanna go see Kankana!"

Joy let out a small squeal that sounded an awful lot like 'kana!'

"You ate half a croissant. Here," Seto sighed, piling some food onto the blond's plate, before shoving it into his hands. "Kankana can't say I don't try and keep you alive now."

"Aren't… you comin'?" the blond asked in confusion, a little timid to go anywhere alone.

The older boy scowled slightly but continued eating. "Only one person gets in at a time, puppy. I'm willing to sit, eat, and wait. I'll see her later. I don't think she'll really mind."

"But… she's gonna wanna see you, too, right?" Joey didn't know why he was so frantic to get the brunet to accompany him. He figured it must be that he was still slightly unnerved from the Minotaur almost—

"She protects the Golden One. I am the Dragon Master. As I am not golden and she is not draconic, we have no ties to each other except for Soumya." He looked up at the younger teen and lifted a spoonful of a food that was much like oatmeal except slimier to his mouth. "Are you trying to tell me that you want me to escort you?"

For some reason, 'escort you' sounded a _lot_ better than 'walk you to her room like a little girl' to the blond's ears. He blushed and ducked his head a little, hesitantly setting his plate on the table. "…Maybe?"

Seto raised an eyebrow and glanced up at him, pulling the spoon from his mouth slowly. "…Either you _do,_ or you _don't._"

"…Yes," Joey answered softly, fidgeting with his fingers anxiously as he looked at his feet. He felt his cheeks turning a deeper shade of red. Just for good measure he added a soft, "Please?"

The brunet paused, spoon already full and halfway to his mouth. He truly pondered saying no, but the raw need and hope in the other boy's voice was just too much. He sighed and set his spoon down. "Fine."

The smaller boy smiled brightly, clasping his hands together. "Thanks, Kaiba!"

"Whatever." He stood and crossed his arms, sighing again, and looked at Mildiriel. "Lead the way."

She smiled and nodded. "Of course. She is this way."

Joey followed her happily, smiling. He grabbed the brunet's arm beside him and snuggled up to it without a second thought, he was so giddy at the thought of seeing his inugami. "I'm so excited!"

"I can tell," Seto answered, rolling his eyes. He didn't shove the other boy away, though. No, he could tell that the blond didn't need that rejection right now. "Joy will go in with you too. I have a feeling that Kankana will like him." He couldn't help the small blush that rose to his cheeks when the blond absolutely beamed at him.

"You're right! And as soon as I'm finished talkin' t' Kankana we can go back and finish eatin'!"

"Wait, I was just gonna go back—" the brunet stated, frowning, but was cut off as Meldiriel grabbed the other boy's arm and whisked him into a darkened room. It must have been Kankana's room.

So he was screwed over and now had to wait to finish his meal. Sometimes he wished the blond's face wasn't so cute. …And then he promptly stomped that thought into submission.

The blond's face was much too pleasant to look at. He found it much more enjoyable to observe Joey's face than Yugi or Yami's hair.

Seto leaned against the wall beside the door and sighed, crossing his arms. He glanced to the side as he saw something out of the corner of his eye, then raised an eyebrow. "Soumya?"

The kirin sighed and looked up at him, frowning. "She'll never walk again."

The brunet's brows furrowed together. "…Never?"

"She tried. Her leg is like a wet noodle, just dangling there." Soumya sighed again. "…I don't know how she's going to go on like she is now. She's always been so wild and free… and now she's crippled and limited."

Seto looked down at his feet, frowning as well. He could see how the news could be devastating. The canine obviously was proud of her athleticism and her power to protect her master. But now… now she couldn't run, and she couldn't protect. The raw power and energy driving through her had no outlet.

_**Thud-sliiide-thup-thup-thup. Sliiide-thup-thup-thup. Sliiide-thup-thup-thup.**_

Both males turned their heads in confusion at the strange noise. The blue and green sets of eyes widened in horror at the sight of the golden-red canine dragging herself into the hall. Her right foreleg was dragging across the ground exactly as Soumya had described; it was like a wet noodle. However, she _was_ heaving her body forward, albeit slowly. She was determined to walk by herself.

Joey was hovering beside her, fidgeting with his fingers as he watched her worriedly. "Kankana, I can help ya. Really! I don't want ya t' get even more hurt!"

"I will go to the food myself," she grunted, before letting out a squawk as her front leg gave out.

Seto didn't know what drove him to catch her. All he knew was that her raw, red wound on her shaved chest and shoulder couldn't stand anymore abuse and he needed to keep her up. But dear _God,_ she was _heavy!_

Kankana snorted in surprise before getting her good leg back beneath her. She then limped past him, grunting out thanks of sorts. Joey was only a step behind her, hovering like an overprotective mother hen. Joy fluttered out after them quickly, letting out a squeal of distress as he hurried to catch up to the blond and inugami.

She shot a glance back at the gaping Dragon Master and kirin. "Come. I have things to discuss with you about what we'll do from here."

"Ah…" Seto and Soumya glanced at each other in confusion before following her as she limped along. "Where'd Meldiriel go?"

Joey looked back at them and forced a small smile. "She left through another door."

"I see." Soumya paused in thought. "…So she _doesn't_ know that you're up and about."

Kankana snorted again as she finally let herself collapse in front of the table of food. She began tearing into the plate piled high with various foods that Joey had left behind before turning her glowing gaze on the three males. "We're going to Den."

The kirin's brows furrowed together. "Den? Can you _make_ it to Den?"

"What's Den?" Joey asked, wringing the hem of his shirt anxiously. He blushed lightly as the older teen grabbed his hands, forcing him to stop. He looked up at the brunet from beneath his lashes, worrying his bottom lip. "Kaiba…?"

Seto frowned at the blond for a moment before taking his left hand in a strong grip. "Calm down. Kankana's not going to put you in danger. …And I'm not going to let Akuju hurt you."

"Ah…" The blond blushed and lifted his free hand up to bite on his index finger nervously. "I know, I just… The Minotaur was so close to… I mean, if ya hadn't… It was gonna…"

"Shhh…" The older teen pressed a finger to the blond's lips, silencing him. "Wash it from your mind, puppy."

"What if somethin' else comes after me like that, huh? I can fight, but if it's as big as the Minotaur, I can't fight it off." He ran his free hand through his hair anxiously and looked up at the brunet. "You guys _aren't_ always gonna be there."

The taller teen raised an eyebrow, frowning. "What if I promise to always be there? I won't leave your side."

Joey sighed. "Ya can't promise that, especially if—"

"Kankana must know some spells that will protect you. And Soumya will keep teaching me." The brunet raised his eyebrows, pleading with his eyes to have his normal spunky blond back. "We'll make sure nothing happens to you, all right?"

"Ha…" The blond blushed and nodded, looking down at his feet. "All right."

"Well, aren't you two _sweet._" Both boys looked up in surprise to see the inugami and the kirin watching them intently. Kankana tilted her head. "Are you going to kiss now? If you are, I'd like to be able to look away first."

Seto looked down at their clasped hands, then blushed and yanked his hands back quickly. "No! That's sick!"

The blond looked up at him, appearing mildly hurt. The hurt disappeared quickly, though, as if he was used to hiding such emotions. And then any questioning of his feelings was put to a halt before it began as Joy went pin-wheeling through the air past his face, squealing, before it dived into the pudding it had landed in before.

"Oh God! …What the hell?!" Joey exclaimed, rushing over to the table and shoving his hands into the pudding to retrieve the tiny dragon. Grasping the little yellow lizard tightly, he pulled it out of the pudding. The dragon let out another happy squeal. "What the hell's wrong with you!?"

"It would appear that he likes pudding," Soumya stated in amusement, sitting beside the inugami.

The blond frowned, grabbing one of the fish egg-like pearls from the dragon's head and popping it into the tiny gaping mouth. "No, I think he just likes the tapioca beads." He looked back at Kankana and tilted his head. "What's Den?"

She frowned and leaned forward to lap up some of the tapioca pudding. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "Strange dragon." She sat up straight. "_Den_ is where we live."

"We do?" Joey tilted his head, blinking innocently.

Kankana sighed. "It's where we live until the new Golden One appears and gains control of all of his or her powers. You're still developing and adapting to the world of _Mythaven [1]_, so your powers are still coming to you." She leaned forward and rested her head on the table. "Once you have gained all of your powers, we move to Nest. It's easier to watch over Mythaven from there and you're closer to the sun."

"But what _is_ Den?" Seto cut in, scowling. "Now that we know what it's for, what _is_ it?"

Soumya rolled his eyes when he realized that the inugami would only give vague answers. "Den is a catacomb of burrows, tunnels, and warrens. The thing about the canines of Mythaven is that they all stick together; they live together, hunt together, eat together, and sleep together. They are one giant pack. They live close to the valley that the dragons happen to occupy during the un-winter seasons. Apart from a few heated discussions, they get along just fine." He frowned in thought. "Well, everyone except Cerberus and Akai. They're always competing against each other."

"So what's Nest?" Joey asked, alternately popping tapioca beads into his mouth and the Petite Dragon's.

"An island that floats in the sky," the kirin replied. "And the only ones that can reside up there are the ones that the Golden One expressly wants them there."

Joey began to pale. "Ya mean… after I get all of my powers… I hafta stay here?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Mythaven is word splice between "myth" and "haven." It is a haven for all mythological creatures. And Duel Monsters, of course. C: Here you go, Skye! Your explanation for the name! :3


	9. Chapter 8

Mythaven

_Recap:_

"_But what __**is**__ Den?" Seto cut in, scowling. "Now that we know what it's for, what __**is**__ it?"_

_Soumya rolled his eyes when he realized that the inugami would only give vague answers. "Den is a catacomb of burrows, tunnels, and warrens. The thing about the canines of Mythaven is that they all stick together; they live together, hunt together, eat together, and sleep together. They are one giant pack. They live close to the valley that the dragons happen to occupy during the un-winter seasons. Apart from a few heated discussions, they get along just fine." He frowned in thought. "Well, everyone except for Cerberus and Akai. They're always competing against each other."_

"_So what's Nest?" Joey asked, alternately popping tapioca beads into his mouth and the Petite Dragon's._

"_An island that floats in the sky," the kirin replied. "And the only ones that can reside up there are the ones that the Golden One expressly wants them there."_

_Joey began to pale. "Ya mean… after I get all of my powers… I hafta stay here?"_

Chapter 8

He felt like he'd been drenched with a bucket of ice water, like his world was ending in a ball of whirling flames. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't! He'd worked so hard to get away from his father, and then fought so hard to get out of the gang he'd trapped himself in. Then he'd met Yugi—made a real friend besides Tristan—and gone on tons of adventures that cemented their friendship, brought them all closer together. Now he had friends that would sacrifice anything for him—and he'd sacrifice anything for them!

And now… now it was all being ripped away. Everything he worked for and held dear… was slipping through his fingers like water…

"That depends on the Eye of Horus," Soumya stated, sighing. "It will decide whether you will take up residence here or if you are able to spend your life in your world with regular check-ins with Kankana."

"And again, it _all_ leads back toward Egypt," Seto muttered darkly, but for the most part, he went ignored.

The inugami narrowed her eyes. "It should allow you to stay in your world, Joseph. You will have exceeded your duties as protector of this world with Akuju."

"Oh." The blond's lips twitched into a hesitant smile. "Let's hope that's what happens, okay?"

Kankana hesitated before her lips twitched into a small smile as well. "Okay."

The intense (and altogether much too sappy) moment was then ruined by the Petite Dragon's small squeal. …It sounded oddly like 'feed me.'

Seto sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh for the love of— You have to eat something other than Tapioca beads! It's unhealthy!"

Joey's bottom lip jutted out into a petulant pout. "Let 'im eat what he wants, Kaiba! He _likes_ Tapioca beads!"

Kankana and Soumya both sighed as the two then got into an argument about the dragon's eating habits, which then turned into an argument about _each other's_ eating habits. The inugami glanced at her companion and smiled. "I suppose this is what it will be like after they get married and have children of their own."

"I imagine that the roles will switch once the children are grown some," the kirin replied.

"What the hell're you two talking about?" the two teens exclaimed, flustered and annoyed that the two beings hadn't tried to stop their argument.

Kankana's ears flew up as she schooled her face into a pleasant smile. "Nothing, nothing at all!"

-x-x-x-

"You're lucky we found you before Al-mi'raj did."

"Al-mi'raj?" Ryou repeated, frowning in confusion.

The roan centaur he was riding nodded, his long brown hair flopping back and forth with the motion. "Yes. He tends to get more than a little frustrated with people encroaching on his territory."

Yugi tilted his head. "What _is_ Al-mi'raj?"

One of the younger palomino centaurs, bouncing around energetically, smiled and answered, "He's this big yellow rabbit with a long, black horn like a unicorn! He's really nasty; he likes to rip people apart and eat them!"

"Chiron!" one of the older centaurs scolded; the two humans assumed it was Chiron's mother.

The red-haired centaur stuck his bottom lip out petulantly. "Aw, Mom!"

"Don't you 'aw Mom' me, Chiron! Do you want to be confined to the North Quarter for a week?"

"_Fiiine._"

Ryou and Yugi giggled to themselves. It appeared that human children and centaur children weren't very different at all.

"Um, Acheron, how long until we get to… to… Dweff-in?" the albino asked, cringing slightly at the way the name sounded coming from his mouth.

The centaur he was riding smiled. "Dwfen is about two hours from here; then we'll take you to meet the Elder Nessus. He'll decide whether we escort you to go find your friends, or if you'll stay here with us and wait for them to find you."

"What will we do if we need to stay here with you?" Yugi tilted his head. "I mean, there's probably not a lot we could do…"

"Can you cook?" Chiron cut in, bouncing up and down excitedly. "I've never had human food before!"

At this, many of the centaurs began murmuring against one another, and the two humans could only deduce that none of them had had human cooking before. Acheron turned and gave them a sharp glare. "Making out guests feed us would be beyond unacceptable! We are the hosts and therefore _we_ shall cook."

Ryou frowned. "Oh, I don't mind. I love to cook." His lips curved up into a delighted smile. "Baking is my favorite."

"Yeah, and I like to cook, too!" Yugi added, smiling as well. "My mother taught me! We'd be happy to cook for you!"

Acheron sighed but narrowed his eyes in slight defeat. "We'll speak with Elder Nessus and see."

Chiron cheered. "Goody!"

Ryou and Yugi glanced at each other, unable to help chuckling at the younger centaur's obvious delight. They were worried about their friends, but they at least knew they could take care of themselves; they were strong enough to fight and some even had magic, so at least if they were together, they'd be out of danger. Right?

-x-x-x-

"I'll fucking _kill_ you, Pharaoh!" Bakura exclaimed, clawing his way out of a thorn bush.

Yami scowled, glaring at him from being stuck upside-down in a tree and caught in numerous vines. "What did _I_ do? This isn't my fault!"

"As far as I'm concerned, _everything's your fault!_" the thief snarled, glaring at him, before wincing at a sudden pain in his rump and springing free of the tangle of thorny branches. "_Yipe!_ Something just bit me in the ass!"

"Well yippee for _you—_Ack!" The former pharaoh let out a grunt as he suddenly slipped through the vines and landed on his back with a sickening thud. "Ugh!"

As both dark halves stood up, rubbing various hurts and grumbling and snarling at each other, a pair of large, bright green eyes stared up at them from the bushes, blinking inquisitively. When no answer was forthcoming, the little creature scurried away, only to return with dozens of companions.

Yami and Bakura froze, unable to help but stare at the dozens of big, emerald-colored eyeballs blinking up at them. After a few minutes of staring in silence from both sides, Yami leaned over and whispered, "Should we run?"

"I don't know. I can't see what they are," the thief hissed in response. After another moment of tense unease, he jerked his body forward and growled. "Rrawh!"

The dozens of eyes jumped but did not look away.

"…Let's just… back away slowly," the former pharaoh stated, beginning to take small steps backward.

Bakura nodded and began backing up as well. "I'll second that."

It was sort of creepy how the eyes didn't seem to get farther away, no matter how fast they shuffled backward.

The thief let out a squawk and jumped into the pharaoh's arms as a tiny paw stepped out of the shadows. "Oh Ra, they're going to kill us all!"

"What the _hell?!_ Get _off!_" Yami exclaimed, dropping him, only to let out a shriek as the creature darted out of the shadows quick as a wink and scampered up his pants and shirt to cling to his head. "_Oh my Ra! Oh my Ra! Get it off!_" he screamed, beginning to run around, clawing at the creature wildly.

Bakura was offended that such a creature would do something to threaten his plan of killing the pharaoh himself. "What the hell?! The pharaoh is _mine!_" he roared, springing on the other man.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?! Get off of me, thief!"

The creature let out a high-pitched yowl and jumped away, rolling over the ground and mewing frantically. Bakura pointed at it. "AH HA! _Fiend!_" He reached out and grabbed the tiny cat by the scruff.

They could easily see the creature now. It was like a kitten, only slightly larger, and looked more like a lion cub than a domestic cat. Its tail was thin, and about two feet long (longer than its body itself); it ended with a large tuft of fur forming a ball nearly as large as its head. Atop its head were also two chunks of fur that stuck out to the side, much like Bakura's. It was also blue. Its fur was blue. Seriously.

"…What… _is_ it?" Yami asked after a moment.

"…A… fluffy… _thing._" Bakura frowned. He dropped it on the ground and made a dismissing motion with its hand. "Shoo." The tiny feline mewed and pawed at his ankle, for some reason not wanting to leave. He scowled at it and pointed back at the bush. "I said _get!_"

The creature ducked back, eyes growing wider, before it sat down, through its head back, and let out a wail. The two former spirits cringed away. At the loud, heartbroken cries coming from the tiny being's throat, dozens of similar creatures began pouring out of the thorn bush in a myriad of colors, though all of them had big green eyes. It was… eerie, to say the least.

"I… think they like you," Yami stated after a moment. "Look, they've even got the same hair thing you do. The one that makes you look like an evil bunny."

"_Evil bunny?!_" Bakura exclaimed indignantly. At this, the thief turned to the tiny creatures and shook a fist at them. "Make fun of _me,_ will you? Mess with _me,_ will you?!"

Yami could only sigh as the man grabbed his knife and began trying to stab at the little creatures. The tiny creatures began jumping out of the way spryly. Their blood would not be spilt anytime soon.

-x-x-x-

Duke and Tristan glanced around slowly, as if not really believing what they were seeing. A large pair of amber eyes stared back, blinking slowly. After a few moments, the amber eyes were turned away, and the large horse began to walk away.

As the small herd of winged horses began to meander away, a large, white stallion—old, much too old to be the head stallion of the herd—came up and nudged them both. "Come on. We don't wait for stragglers."

Both teens squawked in disbelief. Duke jumped away from him. "Dude, what the hell?!"

The stallion raised one of his brows. "You are friends of the Golden One, are you not?" When the two merely blinked at him, he sighed. "Since you are friends of the Golden One, we are obligated to ensure your safety. We can't do that if you're straggling behind."

"Who is this… 'Golden One' you're so hell-bent on saying we're friends of?" Tristan asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. He did, however, start walking, so as not to make the old horse be left behind. He'd feel badly if that happened.

The stallion snorted in disbelief. "Really? The boy with golden hair and golden eyes? Golden skin?"

Duke tilted his head as he looked up at the taller human. "The only one that would remotely fit that description would be Joey."

The brunet sighed loudly. "He's always mouthing off at someone. I wonder who he pissed off this time."

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't do anything. Akuju's just always wanted to rule Mythaven, but only the Golden One has that right." The horse snorted. "To rule, he needs to dominate the Golden One and make him his mate."

Duke jumped as Tristan suddenly let out a snarl. "Dude! What's your problem!?"

The brunet growled, hands clenching into fists. "My _problem_ is everyone and their mother wanting to take advantage of my best friend! They've always done that! First Hirutani, then his dad, and his mom, and Pegasus, and then—" He turned a glare on his friend. "And then _you._ You and that stupid game of Duel Monsters and that stupid dog suit! You think I try and talk him out of things to keep him from humiliating himself so _I_ don't get dragged into it? No!"

"What are you talking about?" The green-eyed teen was more than a little uncomfortable; he'd apologized quite a lot to make up for that, and even offered to pay for all of the blond's meals up to that point as a way to score some extra points from him.

Tristan growled. "I'm talking about how he doesn't know how to say no to people unless his moral compass is going berserk! Do you know how long he's been forced to do things he doesn't want to do? Once he met Yugi, everything changed, and he learned how to say no!" He shot the raven-haired teen a glare. "And it's people like _you_ using him that makes me so pissed off!"

"I _said_ I was sorry!"

"And I know that! It just pisses me off!" The sighed loudly, then crossed his arms and ruffled his hair tiredly. "I can't keep taking care of him like this. I need to find him and make sure nothing happens to him. You've probably noticed that it's easy to take advantage of him."

Duke hesitated before nodding slowly. "Yeah. I have."

"You have no need to worry. A Dragon Master is watching over him," the stallion replied. He frowned, perplexed, as the two humans stopped and looked at each other. His confusion turned to surprise as the two teens then began laughing, loudly, and with no sign of stopping.

Duke grabbed onto the brunet to keep his balance as he found his knees quaking with the force of his laughter. This, however, didn't help, as they collapsed to the ground in a heap of laughing, trembling limbs.

The horse snorted. "I don't see what's so funny."

"It figures Kaiba would have to look after Joey!" Duke exclaimed, wrapping around his arms around his aching stomach as tears of laughter began to leak from his eyes.

"I can't breathe!" Tristan exclaimed, unable to stop laughing. "God, he got the short end of that stick!"


	10. Chapter 9

Mythaven

_Recap:_

"_You have no need to worry. A Dragon Master is watching over him," the stallion replied. He frowned, perplexed, as the two humans stopped and looked at each other. His confusion turned to surprise as the two teens then began laughing, loudly, and with no sign of stopping._

_Duke grabbed onto the brunet to keep his balance as he found his knees quaking with the force of his laughter. This, however, didn't help, as they collapsed to the ground in a heap of laughing, trembling limbs._

_The horse snorted. "I don't see what's so funny."_

"_It figures Kaiba would have to look after Joey!" Duke exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his aching stomach as tears of laughter began to leak from his eyes. _

"_I can't breathe!" Tristan exclaimed, unable to stop laughing. "God, he got the short end of that stick!"_

Chapter 9

"…I feel badly for her," Joey stated after a few moments.

Seto found himself sympathizing. He'd never seen a more pathetic picture than Kankana struggling to limp away from three small elves trying to usher her back into bed. He was worried about her, though; the elves could only take so much before they'd have to call in some of the stronger elves more willing to bodily move her to the bed. She probably would have been able to take the bigger ones on, too, if only she wouldn't keep tripping over her useless leg.

"…Hey…" Seto picked up one of the thick bandages lying on the table beside him, then looked over at the growling inugami. "…I have an idea."

Soumya frowned. "I've learned that those words don't necessarily have a good outcome if they come from a human's mouth."

"It's nothing bad," the brunet replied, then walked out in front of the giant dog to intercept her. "Let me see your leg."

Kankana narrowed her eyes at him but came to a stop, though she made it clear that she was quite willing to bite him if he decided to help the three elves after her. "I would lift it for you, but I'm afraid it's… jell-o, I believe you call it in your world."

"…Whatever." Seto bent to grab her foreleg and lift it so it was pressed against her chest, then glanced at Joey. "Puppy, could you come hold her leg up for me? I'm going to need both hands free to do this."

"Uh… Okay," Joey replied, frowning, but held up her foreleg just the same. "What are you gonna do?"

"Wrap it." So saying, the brunet began wrapping the length of bandage around the inugami's neck and foreleg, pinning it to her chest and keeping it from flapping back and tripping up her other legs. Once at the end of the bandage, he tied it off. "Try walking now."

Kankana took a few experimental steps, then—finding nothing to trip her up or make her lose her balance—took off at a run, cackling. "_Freedom!_"

Seto winced as the three elves shot him a glare. "I thought it would make her relax a bit."

"Well, that certainly backfired," Soumya pointed out, watching as the ever-so-happy dog raced past him in the other direction. "Kankana! Please lie down and rest! You've only just been healed!"

She snorted but allowed herself to be led back to the bed, sighing. "Fine. Spoiled sport."

Joey smiled in relief, happy to see his guardian resting so she could get better, and turned to the brunet beside him. "Thanks, Kaiba."

"Whatever." The older teen waved it away carelessly. "It was nothing. The only reason she couldn't run was because she kept tripping over it." He squeaked as the blond suddenly hugged him. "What are you doing!?"

"You just don't want anyone t' think that ya _like_ her," the blond giggled, nuzzling his chest playfully, before pulling away from him and cheerfully prancing out of the room, Joy squealing and loopty-looping after him.

Seto blushed a little as he watched them go, unconsciously missing the warmth of the other's body pressed against his. He wondered if he was unnaturally cold, or if Joey was unnaturally warm to make that feeling occur; either way, he felt much colder now that he was gone. He rubbed his arms reflexively.

Soumya frowned. "Are you cold?"

"…I'm not sure," the brunet replied truthfully, turning his gaze back to the kirin. "I'm really not sure."

"Well, be prepared to leave soon," the dragon-deer replied, sighing, and turned to follow the blond out the door. "As soon as Kankana gets rested, we'll be leaving."

"Right," he sighed, rubbing the back of his head, before shooting one last look at the inugami. When he found her staring at him with her wise, glowing eyes, he immediately looked away and swept out of the room.

He was surprised to find Joey sitting against the wall outside of his guardian's room, hugging his knees close to his chest, as Joy continued to loopty-loop about. The blond looked up at him and smiled a little. "I don't wanna go too far, in case she needs me."

Seto sighed and glanced back into the room to find the giant dog frowning at him. _'…She wants me to take care of him, doesn't she?'_ he thought tiredly, then sighed again and looked down at the blond. "…I don't think she's going to have any problems, puppy. She's probably just going to sleep the whole night, have breakfast with us tomorrow, and then we'll go to Den. …Or something along those lines. Not necessarily in that order," he muttered, knowing that if she could get away with it, Kankana would usher all of them out of the elves' care before daylight.

"…But what if you're wrong?" the smaller teen asked softly, frowning. "What if she needs me and I'm not here?"

"Then Soumya will come get you," the brunet replied, rolling his eyes. "God knows he's not going to be too far away from her either." Seeing the confusion in the smaller teen's eyes, he leaned down slightly and offered him a hand. "Let's go look around. I mean, we're here; we might as well explore a little, right?"

"But…" Joey frowned, looking at his outstretched hand for a few moments, then sighed and reached out to hesitantly clasp his hand, as if afraid he'd yank it back. He knew Seto had gotten his soul healed, but he couldn't really say how that affected his actions. He could only hope that this was a permanent side-effect, and that he'd never go back to being mean and grouchy. "Okay."

Seto yanked him up swiftly, surprised when the blond let out a yelp and slammed into his chest. "Jesus, what do you weigh?"

"Enough!" the younger teen exclaimed defensively, hurriedly pulling away. He blushed when the brunet grabbed his hand again and looked up at him in confusion. "Kaiba…?"

The brunet glanced away from him but didn't let go. "It's windy outside. I wouldn't want you to blow away, as tiny as you are."

Joey scowled, ready to rip the asshole a new one, but stopped himself as he heard a small squeal and looked up at the Petite Dragon in concern. "So Joy should stay inside, huh?"

"Yeah. Joy, stay with Kankana." Seto jerked his head toward the doorway. "She's sad and needs cheering up."

Joy gave a dismayed squeak, then turned and flapped into the inugami's room. Both teens couldn't help a smile as the tiny dragon let out a squeal, soon followed by Kankana's startled shriek. "…SETO KAIBA!"

"Let's go!" Joey exclaimed, laughing, and tugged on the brunet's hand.

Seto felt the corner of his lip quirk upward into a semi-smile. It wasn't the same as having the blond's body pressed up against his, providing him warmth, but he had to admit that holding Joey's hand was… nice. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, of course. He was having a hard time admitting it in his head.

"Woah! It's like… Oh, what's that one place called? That elf place in the first of the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy?" Joey exclaimed, tugging on the brunet's sleeve. "Kaiba, ya gotta know!"

"…And why must I know?" When the blond merely blinked at him, he sighed loudly. "Rivendell."

"See, ya knew," the younger teen stated cheerfully.

Seto had to admit that it did look a-freaking-_lot_ like Rivendell. They were in the middle of a little valley, rich with lots of greenery. Hell, there was even a flipping waterfall. …Oh no.

"J.R.R. Tolkein? No. No way. No _fucking_ way!"

Joey looked up at him in surprise, then frowned. "What's wrong, Kaiba?"

The brunet scowled. "Rivendell was based on Lauterbrunnental in Switzerland! Like hell!"

"The Louder… huh?" Seeing that the older teen was getting very annoyed, very quickly, the blond hurriedly waved his hands. "Ah, ah, it doesn't necessarily hafta be from here, right? I mean, we've gotten pieces of everything so far—Egyptian, Japanese, Chinese, Greek—Why not Switzerlandish!"

It was cold without the younger boy's touch. Such matters of physical surroundings were now trivial compared to the heat the blond gave off.

Snatching back the blond's frantically waving hand, he let out an annoyed snort and continued walking. "The _word_ is 'Swiss,' puppy."

Joey growled, annoyed. He'd put up with it before—he'd been too worried about Kankana to really care—but did Seto _really_ have to keep calling him a dog?! "Kaiba! Stop callin' me a dog! Why the hell do ya call me that, anyway?!"

Seto raised an eyebrow and turned to look at him. "Well, I see you as a puppy, growing into your paws. I can even imagine the… ears and… tail…" he trailed off, frowning. He stopped walking and tilted his head, then hesitantly reached up and swatted at the two golden ears that he could see on top of the other teen's head, just to make sure he was _really_ imagining it.

"Ow! The hell'd ya do that for?!" the blond exclaimed, reaching up to clap his hands over his fuzzy ears.

It took a few moments for it to sink in, on both parts. Then, Joey let out a distressed cry and ran over to a bird bath to look at his reflection. As the blond whimpered and pulled at his new puppy ears in disbelief (his human ears nowhere to be found), Seto finally caught sight of his golden tail, which was trying to curl under him in dismay, but kept failing because the hem of his pants got in the way.

Now, being Seto Kaiba, he wasn't going to believe it until he'd felt it with his own two hands, as eyes had been known to lie. He was, of course, forcing himself to believe that the tail wasn't there, even though he'd already proved that the puppy ears were there already. And needless to say, Seto Kaiba always gets what he wants; he doesn't even have to ask for things. He learned, a few seconds later, that he at least _should_ have asked.

Joey jumped and let out a shriek as he felt a tug at the base of his spine—_'My tail!'_—and turned, immediately socking the brunet in the jaw. "The hell! I never said ya could touch! …What didja touch?!" He turned and, seeing the tail attached to his back, let out a moan and tugged at his hair in anguish. "No, _no!_ This isn't happenin' t' me…!" Seeing that he'd just punched someone who could (and probably would) easily punch him back—and that that someone was decidedly bigger than he was—he winced and scurried away to make himself the smallest target possible against a wall.

Seto growled and looked up from rubbing his aching jaw; he knew it was going to bruise as the day wore on. He opened his mouth to verbally rip the blond apart, but he had to cut himself off as he found him cowering against the wall, curled up in fetal position, and looking up at him with big, frightened brown eyes. His tail—hem of his pants be damned—had finally succeeded in curling beneath him, and his ears had folded backward to press against his head. _'Like a frightened puppy.'_

He took a few steps closer to the blond and was unexplainably saddened when the smaller teen ducked his head, hiding his glittering eyes from view. He couldn't describe why he was so guilty about scaring the other boy. He hadn't _done_ anything; hell, Joey had been the one to hit him! But, thinking back on what Soumya had said a few days prior, Joey was probably afraid that he'd beat him and had decided to cower and try to minimize the pain.

Deciding that the best approach would be a cautious one, Seto slowed his steps and made them smaller. He recalled a time after Gozaburo had beaten both he and Mokuba and started to speak soft words of comfort to get the blond to relax, as he'd had to do with Mokuba. "It's okay, puppy. I'm not mad. I know you were just scared. You still are, huh? Come on, take my hand; we'll go see Kankana and Soumya, okay?"

Joey lifted his head and looked up at him warily, then turned his gaze to the brunet's hand. It was just like earlier, when he'd been coaxing him to leave Kankana to her own devices. Seto hadn't hurt him then. He probably wouldn't hurt him now, right? Besides, he'd said he wasn't mad, and Seto had only ever struck him when he'd said something to make him mad. He wasn't mad now, so therefore, he wouldn't be struck.

Seto smiled as the blond hesitantly reached out to slide his fingers across his hand, tentatively curling his fingers around it. He was surprised to see the younger teen's fingernails sharper than they had been before, instead coming to a point. …He was somewhat reminded of that character from the anime _InuYasha_ that Mokuba always watched, the one with the dog ears and the red clothes.

But that was beside the point!

Remembering that the smaller teen weighed the same as a stick (as he so affectionately compared), he gently helped him to his feet so that they wouldn't collide again. He noted that the heat he felt emanating from their joined hands was stronger now, making him feel warmer than he had before. Joey looked up at him and tilted his head, appearing curious and adorable. A few seconds later, he leaned in, his eyes fluttering closed as he took a deep breath, as if to take in his scent.

Seto couldn't help but think he looked incredibly endearing like that. Eyelids falling to half-mast, he leaned in, suddenly intent to claim the blond's mouth as his own, to stake his claim on those pouting lips so that Akuju wouldn't _dare_ try to go after him again—

"What was that, Joseph!?" Both teens turned their heads sharply to find Kankana limping up to them, looking frantic (and rather frazzled) with Soumya and Joy only a few steps behind. "Are you two alright? Were you attacked? I sensed your magic fluctuate and I thought—" She cut herself off as her eyes locked on the pair of golden ears atop her human's head. "…Oh. I see."

Soumya narrowed his eyes and smiled slyly. "I do, too."

Seto blushed a little and glared at him. "Shut up, Soumya."

"Hmmmm? Whatever should I shut up about, _Seto?_"

Joey frowned and looked up at the brunet in confusion. He tilted his head as he saw the blush but quickly pegged it as 'soul-healed-weirdness.' "Kaiba?"

Kankana sighed. "I'm sorry to interrupt your adventure, but Joseph, I should really take you back to my room and start teaching you how to control your powers. I hadn't thought they'd show themselves… so soon." She frowned. "Perhaps Akuju is stronger than I had at first perceived…"

The blond whimpered and unconsciously stepped closer to the Dragon Master. Seto reached up to dig his fingers into his thick yellow hair and pull him closer without thinking, immediately trying to protect him in response to just hearing the bastard's name. He couldn't help a small sigh of contentment as the younger teen nuzzled his chest in search of comfort.

Kankana, love-challenged as she was, missed this; Soumya did not.

"Joseph, come. We'll start right away," the inugami stated, nodding as she said it, as if pleased with her plan. "The sooner we start, the sooner you'll be able to protect yourself."

Joey sighed and reluctantly pulled from the brunet's embrace. He hissed and raised a hand to guard his eyes from one of the sudden strong gusts that Seto had warned him about. "Shit!"

Joy let out a distressed squeal as he was suddenly blown away, twisting about helplessly in the wind's clutches. His squeal sounded alarmingly like, 'heeeeeelp!'

"_Shit!_" Seto didn't even hesitate as he sprinted after him. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

"Don't lose sight of him, Seto!" Soumya called after him, before following at a calm trot. "We don't want him anymore lost than he already is!"

The blond watched them disappear around a corner worriedly. "I hope they catch him. Poor Joy…"

"Poor _you_ if we don't get you out of the cold," Kankana replied, turning to head back to her room. "You're much more susceptible to illness now, until you get your magic under control." She couldn't help a smile as the blond let out an annoyed snarl. "It's not my fault your magic decided to show up now."

-x-x-x-

Joey looked up from towel drying his hair as Seto walked in and immediately focused on him. "Didja catch up t' Joy?"

"Yes, I caught up to Joy," the soaked brunet replied, sighing, as he stripped his shirt off. "Took me half the day, though. Just barely got in a bath. I talked to Meldiriel; apparently we're sharing the bed until we leave."

"Oh, okay." The younger teen looked around expectantly for the happy dragon and was slightly alarmed when he didn't find him. "Where is he?"

"Who?"

"_Joy!_"

Seto rolled his eyes. "Oh." He pulled at the hem of his pants and let them drop to the ground. "Hiding."

Joey blushed a little but didn't turn away. They were both men, after all, so what did he have to be embarrassed about? …Aside from Seto's sexy manliness and the fact that he was maybe a little bit less than straight, of course. His jaw dropped a little. "…Was he… hidin' next to your _penis?_"

The brunet rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah. My clothes flapped in the wind, and he discovered that my dick does _not,_ in fact, move with the wind as my shirt and pants do. He flew into my pants and I was loathe to dig him out. …I was afraid he'd bite me and hold on for dear life if I tried, anyway." He winced slightly at the thought. "Hand me a towel, will you? I would have brought one, but the rain would have made the point moot."

"Uh… Right," the younger teen replied, tossing him an extra towel. He blushed again as Joy let out a squeak and rubbed against his cheek, unable to help but think about what the little dragon had just been pressed against. "When did it start rainin'?"

"About an hour and a half ago. When did you get in here?" Seto asked, leaning forward a little to dry his hair without dripping water onto his mostly dry skin.

"About three hours ago. I've been tryin' t' meditate; Kankana said it would help me focus my magic," Joey explained, nervously tugging at his robe. "Then I washed my hair in the wash bowl."

"Huh. Well, it should. Meditating has helped me in a lot of things, not just magic." The CEO stood and tossed his towel to the side carelessly to land on top of his clothes, then pulled back the blankets and slid under the covers.

The blond squeaked and blushed even more. "You sleep naked?!"

"Nudity is a perfectly natural state of being. There's no need to get so embarrassed," the brunet replied, rolling his eyes. "Jeez, you'd think you'd never been to a public bath."

"There's a difference between _bathin'_ and _sleepin'!_" Joey exclaimed, then covered his face and sighed. There was no way he was getting around this. He hadn't been given any pajamas, and he wasn't going out in the rain to go ask for some. He wasn't going to wear the shirt he'd been wearing all day, either, because he'd been in it and sweated in it and that would be gross. Besides, he was clean and the shirt wasn't. "…Fine, but ya better not try anything, ya pervert!" he stated finally, shedding his robe and beginning to crawl into bed as well.

Seto frowned, puzzled as to the blond's accusations, but decided that there was no point asking him about it. "…Whatever. Come on, Joy," he muttered, sighing, before turning so his back faced the blond and reaching out to grab the glass of the lamp guarding the flame. He lifted the glass only slightly to blow out the flame, then set it back down and laid flat once they were bathed in darkness.

He listened to the blond thrash around for a few minutes, then closed his eyes and prepared for sleep once he'd gone still. He'd just gotten to the cusp of sleep when the blond had begun shifting again. He waited for the shifting to stop before trying again. When the cycle continued for a few more rounds, he finally lost his temper.

Turning to glare at where he thought the blond was, he snapped, "What the hell?! Just lie down and _sleep,_ damn it!"

"…But I'm scared."

When he heard the vulnerability in the blond's voice, he sighed and turned over to be facing in his direction. "Scared of what, puppy?"

"…What if Akuju sends another Alp, or somethin' else, t' attack when we're asleep?" Joey asked softly, and Seto felt him clench the blankets in his fingers.

He sighed again, then reached out and wrapped his arms around the blond's waist to pull him closer. "Come here."

"Eep! Kaiba, what—" the younger teen began, startled, but the brunet cut him off.

"I don't sleep very well at night, because I'm a light sleeper, so I'll make sure nothing attacks you," the CEO stated, settling down to try and sleep again. "So you don't have to worry about being attacked while you sleep. Okay?"

"…Okay," Joey replied quietly, sighing.

When the blond didn't relax, Seto sighed and reached up to gently fondle his furry ears. He heard the smaller boy make a small noise of protest, but when he didn't follow up on it, he continued until he'd felt him relax and his breathing slow. Then, once satisfied that the blond was asleep, he allowed himself to drift off as well.

-x-x-x-

No, no, _no!_ The Dragon Master wasn't _supposed_ to become attached to the Golden One!

Akuju growled angrily and narrowed his eyes. He had thought that the two teens had merely had a tentative understanding not to hurt each other. He hadn't realized that they shared compatible souls! He knew that the Golden One's soul was full of light, and fire, but he would have never guessed that the Dragon Master's soul was filled with darkness and ice! Now that the Dragon Master was realizing that his own angry soul was being soothed by the blond's, he'd become even more attached, and then he'd have to contend with _dragons_ to capture the Golden One!

He'd have to nip this one in the ass before they got any closer to each other. He _would_ have Golden One and he _would_ own him completely. The Dragon Master _had_ to go.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

So I know I haven't updated this story in _such_ a long time. D: I'm a horrible person. But! But!

I'm going to update this story again in a few days, so don't be mad, right? :3 See, you can't stay mad when you know I'm going to update soon.


	11. Chapter 10

Note: HAHA! You can't be mad about me not updating in forever, because here's a second chapter within FIVE DAYS! Nyeh! *sticks tongue out*

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_When the blond didn't relax, Seto sighed and reached up to gently fondle his furry ears. He heard the smaller boy make a small noise of protest, but when he didn't follow up on it, he continued until he'd felt him relax and his breathing slow. Then, once satisfied that the blond was asleep, he allowed himself to drift off as well._

_-x-x-x-_

_No, no, __**no!**__ The Dragon Master wasn't __**supposed**__ to become attached to the Golden One!_

_Akuju growled angrily and narrowed his eyes. He had thought that the two teens had merely had a tentative understanding not to hurt each other. He hadn't realized that they shared compatible souls! He knew that the Golden One's soul was full of light, and fire, but he would have never guessed that the Dragon Master's soul was filled with darkness and ice! Now that the Dragon Master was realizing that his own angry soul was being soothed by the blond's, he'd become even more attached, and then he'd have to contend with __**dragons**__ to capture the Golden One!_

_He'd have to nip this one in the ass before they got any closer to each other. He __**would**__ have Golden One and he __**would**__ own him completely. The Dragon Master __**had**__ to go._

Chapter 10

Seto sighed and traced the blond's lips with his index finger idly. He knew the blond was beautiful. The elves knew it, too, as they'd asked him who the pretty boy was and if they were life partners. He'd blushed and sputtered and glared, but then Soumya had to butt in and say that they would be in time.

Damn dragon-deer.

He wished he'd gotten to kiss him, though. When Kankana had interrupted, he just wanted to grab her and shake her. He'd always noticed before that Joey had nice lips (he had a big mouth, he had to look sometimes!), and he'd often wondered what it would be like to kiss them, even before he'd been forced to partner with him. It wasn't that he'd liked him, though; he'd often figured that if he just kissed the blond—if only for a second—he would be stunned into precious, _precious_ silence.

He didn't think the same thing now, though. He realized that Joey was a very beautiful and caring person, and he was surprised to find that he didn't already have a significant other. If he hadn't hated him before (again, he didn't hate him now), he would have scooped him up the first chance he'd gotten and claimed him.

…He could kiss him now though. Joey was asleep; he'd never know the difference! And he wouldn't have to face the possible rejection! If Joey didn't like him, he'd find out later, and he'd never have to mention the kiss!

Leaning forward, he first brushed the long golden strands of hair away from the blond's face. He didn't really know what prompted this. Perhaps he just liked seeing his face. Once his hair was tucked carefully behind his ear, Seto leaned in to press a soft, gentle kiss to his pink lips—

"Oi, oi, oi! Up and at 'em!" Kankana exclaimed gruffly, lifting her good front paw to jiggle the bed.

Seto growled and sat up angrily, tossing his covers off. "Damn it! You have _horrible_ timing!"

"It's only seven!" the canine exclaimed, looking perplexed. "…Whatever. Joseph!"

"Mrgh…" Joey sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning tiredly, then shot her a half-hearted glare. "Can't you call me Joey? You sound ancient when ya call me that!"

Again, she looked perplexed. "I am ancient."

"Just call him Joey and we'll all be happy," Soumya sighed, coming into the room as well. He turned and raised a scaly brow at Seto, then rolled his eyes. "Meldiriel will be coming with your clothes soon. You should get back in bed, or at least cover yourself with a sheet. You wouldn't want to scare the poor thing."

Joey—immediately awake at the mention of a female humanoid coming in and finding him naked—squeaked and immediately pulled his covers up. Seto rolled his eyes but sat back down on the bed and pulled the sheets over to cover him at least… modestly. Joey didn't think it was nearly enough, but he didn't seem to care about nudity, so he didn't say anything.

Moments later found Milderiel sweeping gracefully into the room. She smiled pleasantly. "Good morning. Kaiba, I have brought the clothes we found you in; they are clean and mended. Joey, I found some clothes that should fit you better."

"Really?" the blond asked hopefully, suddenly more receptive to her presence.

She laughed and nodded, setting one pile down beside the brunet and another on the younger teen's lap. "Yes. They should fit perfectly; one of the seamstresses made them, and she is pretty good at sizing. She has got magic after all," she replied, then blinked at his ears. "Oh. Those are new."

"Yeah. You can touch 'em if ya want," the blond offered, smiling innocently.

Melidiriel lifted her hand, reaching to touch his ears, but stopped when she felt daggers being glared at her back. She turned her head slightly and raised an eyebrow. She was surprised by the jealousy and anger in Seto's glare. However, she did understand the possessiveness, so she wisely pulled her hand back and offered the blond a small smile. "Thank you for the offer, but I will have to decline." She turned to leave. "Food is in the dining hall when you are ready."

"Thanks, Meldiriel!" Joey exclaimed, waving, before turning to glare at Kankana. "Get out."

"Psh, as if I haven't seen a naked human before." She rolled her eyes and turned to limp out after the elf. "Got a nice view of Kaiba when he stood up—_unwanted,_ mind you—"

Soumya sighed and strolled out after her, but not without saying, "Seto, it's pretty warm out. You might want to leave your coat off."

Seto rolled his eyes and stood to start getting dressed. "Whatever."

Joey stuck his tongue out at the back of his head, then looked through the clothes he'd been given. "Um… Kaiba? Could ya run after her and ask for some underwear for me?"

"Go commando," the brunet answered shortly, still a bit miffed from his ruined kiss.

"Aw, come on." When the CEO didn't even look toward him, he stuck his tongue out again before pulling the blankets aside to stand up. "Jerk."

Seto growled and turned to snap at him but found himself falling speechless as he watched the blond shimmying into a tight pair of denim pants. Watching those hips twitch back and forth, seeing the blond's ass wiggling at him… He couldn't really blame any creature wanting to molest him. His innocence and unconscious allure was just begging for him to be ravished!

Feeling eyes on him, Joey hesitantly turned to look over his shoulder and blushed, ears folding back against his head, as he found the brunet watching him with such intensity that he was almost afraid of him. "…Kaiba…?"

"Hmm…?"

"…Why are you lookin' at me like that?"

Seto blinked for a moment, then turned and began pulling his turtleneck over his head. "No reason."

Joey blushed a bit more as he watched the muscles in the brunet's back ripple with the movement and bit his bottom lip. God, he needed help. He was starting to get a crush on Kaiba! And the guy didn't even really like him!

The brunet turned and watched the younger teen pull a tight muscle shirt over his head. The gray shirt—the material more like a sweatshirt than a regular shirt—clung to the contours of his body like a second skin. He growled in the back of his throat. These clothes weren't any better than the ones he'd worn yesterday; they still showed off too much of him!

The blond yipped as he was suddenly spun around and found himself looking up into stormy blue eyes. Before he could ask what he was doing, those eyes were looming closer, closer—so close—

He squeaked as the older teen was suddenly kissing him, dominating his lips, ravaging them, drawing out his breath and soul. He'd never been kissed before, and he had to admit that this… It was surprising, and sort of scary, but knowing that it was Seto—someone he knew that wouldn't try to take advantage of him—was comforting, too, and he decided he wouldn't want it any other way.

Seto pulled away and tilted his head, frowning. After a few minutes, he offered the blond a small smile before he pulled away, grabbed his coat, and turned to leave the room. "We shouldn't keep Kankana and Soumya waiting, pup."

Joey placed his hands over his flushed cheeks and watched him go, still trying to catch his breath. Hearing an inquisitive squeak, he turned to look at the tiny dragon hovering next to him. "…Did I just imagine that?" When Joy merely blinked at him like the innocent dragon he was, he sighed and tugged restlessly at one of his ears. "I hope I didn't. Man… He's such a good kisser…"

-x-x-x-

The trip to Den didn't take as long as the two humans expected. Apparently, the only reason the two mythical beasts wanted to leave so early was because they didn't want to travel during the heat of the day. The elves shared the valley with the dragons, and as Kankana had said, the dragons were neighbors of Den.

They had no reason to worry, until they got to the mouth of the huge cave and found a wolf waiting at the entrance that was larger than even Soumya.

Seto grew alarmed when the kirin drew to a sudden, startled stop. If the dragon-deer had reason to be wary, he knew that he stood no chance against the giant wolf. "…Soumya?"

"Shh!" Soumya hissed, shooting him a short glare, before looking back at the giant wolf.

Joey bit his bottom lip and dug his fingers into Kankana's fur nervously as she continued limping onward, up to face the wolf. "…Kankana…!"

Kankana snorted and came to a confused stop as the wolf narrowed his eyes at her. "…Amarok…?"

The wolf—_Amarok, [1]_ apparently—scowled, a low, angry growl rumbling from his throat. When he spoke, it sounded more like thunder than an actual voice. "_What happened?_"

"…Ah…" She looked down at her useless leg, then back up at him. "…I got in a fight with the Minotaur."

"_And lost?_"

She scowled and stomped her good paw. "No! I won! Shoulda seen me!"

"_And what is this thing_?" the wolf continued, ignoring her answer. "_It looks like some type of hairless rat._"

"Hey!" Joey exclaimed indignantly. "Don't be a jerk!"

"This is the Golden One and I would appreciate you _not_ testing my already thin patience," Kankana hissed, suddenly looking just as menacing as she had when the Minotaur had attacked her charge.

Amarok snorted disdainfully, though the growl was gone from his voice. "Whatever. Mother will probably want to see him, then. You go ahead; I want to speak to Soumya for a minute."

"…Fine," she answered shortly, then began limping past him into the giant cave.

Joey turned to shoot their two companions a worried look. "But Kankana—"

"Soumya's got long legs; he'll catch up."

Amarok grinned, a very frightening grin, especially since all of his very sharp, very large teeth were exposed. "I see you are once again traveling with my sister."

"To protect the Golden One and the Dragon Master," Soumya replied cautiously, dipping his head.

The wolf hummed and raised a furry brow. "Mm, the Dragon Master seems just as much scoundrel as you."

"Hey!" Seto exclaimed angrily. "I wouldn't be protecting Wheeler if I was a scoundrel, and neither would Soumya! I don't know who the hell you are, but—"

"He's a very scary wolf!" the kirin hissed, turning his head to glare at him. "Shut _up!_"

"I see. So you're trying to get into the Golden One's pants like Soumya's trying to sidle up to Kankana. I see how it is." Amarok narrowed his eyes again. "I will not allow that."

The brunet growled and glared back at him. "I have _saved_ his pants! Twice! First from an alp, then from the Minotaur!"

Hearing the human growl, he let his own growl rumble from his throat again as he curled his upper lip back. "_So you can claim him yourself?!_"

Seto leaned forward and snarled. "You pompous jackass-!"

Joy let out an angry squeal and dove at the wolf's head. When the wolf turned his snarl at him, he bit him on the nose and didn't let go.

"OH GOD GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" Amarok shook his head wildly, trying to dislodge the little dragon, but it was dead-set on keeping him from hurting his Dragon Master.

Afraid for the yellow reptile's tiny body, Seto reached out to grab him and pull him off. He was alarmed when Joy still refused to let go. "Joy! Let go! Bad dragon! _Bad dragon!_"

"Oh my God! What are ya doin'?!"

Ah, Joey and Kankana were back; apparently, they got worried. Kankana—though she was oblivious to Soumya's feelings—was well aware of her "brother's" overprotective nature.

Joey scowled and stomped up to them, giving Amarok's muzzle a slap and startling the dragon into releasing his nose. "Will you guys knock it off?! Amarok, I can tell ya don't like Soumya and Kaiba, but you're gonna hafta put up with them because I like 'em and I'm gonna be very upset if anything happens to 'em! Kaiba's got a little brother at home t' take care of and Soumya is the nicest kirin I know!"

"…He's the only kirin you know," Kankana mumbled, then limped up to the giant wolf. "Amarok, you didn't tell me where Mother is. I'm not limping around the damn maze without knowing where I'm going."

Amarok growled softly but turned to lead them into Den. "Whatever. Let's go."

The inugami smiled brightly and trotted after him, trusting that the blond would trail after sooner or later. "Thank you."

Seto frowned and looked at the smaller teen in confusion. "…Puppy?"

"Are you okay? Is Joy hurt?" Joey asked concern, stepping closer and anxiously looking down at the little yellow dragon in the brunet's hands. "I heard Amarok yellin' and I figured that Joy must be protectin' ya because you'd said somethin' to piss him off. I was right, wasn't I?"

Soumya snorted and ushered them after the two canines into the cave, brightly lit with fairies of different colors. "Walk and talk, walk and talk; just because Kankana doesn't have all four legs doesn't mean she can't keep up with her monstrously large brother!"

"Wasn't I?" the blond persisted, looking up at the taller teen inquisitively.

"…I don't recall saying anything that should piss him off."

Joey raised an eyebrow at him skeptically. "…I don't believe you." He glanced down at the still very disgruntled Petite Dragon, then reached out and took the small reptile from the brunet's hands and pressed him against his chest in a tight, soothing hug. "Calm down, Joy. Don't get your tail in a knot; I'm sure you were just protectin' Kaiba because he said somethin' stupid."

"Hey! I'm right here!" Seto exclaimed, scowling at him. Adorableness be damned. He wasn't taking the insults lying down!

The blond looked up at him from under his bangs and smiled sweetly. "I'm not sayin' that what ya said was stupid. I'm sayin' that the fact ya actually said it to him was stupid. After all, Soumya's afraid of him; you should at least be a little nervous, right?"

"Will you two hurry up? We're falling behind," Soumya butted in, trotting a bit further ahead of them so he could perhaps keep a better eye on the two canines swiftly walking away. He sighed in aggravation as they turned a corner out of sight. "You'd think they'd remember that humans don't have long legs! Keep walking; I'll try to catch up to them and get them to slow down."

"Okay!" the younger teen called after him, frowning. "I don't see why he didn't just carry us with him."

"Trust me, puppy, you don't want to ride him. He bounces more than Kankana." Seto grimaced. "That took a bit of getting used to."

Joey blinked at him, then blushed a little when he realized what he was saying. "Oh! Never mind, then! Just kiddin'!"

The brunet smiled a little and shrugged. "It wasn't that bad. I got used to it."

"Ah." The blond took a few more steps in silence before he sighed and came to a stop, looking down at the dragon he still had pressed to his chest.

The older teen frowned in concern and came to a stop as well. "Puppy?"

"…Kaiba…" Joey bit his bottom lip, then figured that this would probably be the last time they were alone for their stay here in Den, so it was a good time to talk about what had been bothering him. He looked up at the older teen with the most pleading expression he'd ever seen, including Mokuba's. "About this morning… when ya kissed me. What did that—" He cut himself off as the ground beneath his feet began to tremble.

The brunet looked around in bewilderment before turning sharply as he heard a shout. "Soumya!"

"_Run!_" the kirin roared, galloping toward them. "Take him and _run!_"

Confused, but turning to grab the blond's hand anyway, Seto began running, dragging a confused and very frightened blond and a squealing dragon behind him as he tried to keep his balance. The ground began to shake with more intensity, causing rocks to fall from the high ceiling of the tunnel, which just made another obstacle to avoid. The rock around them began to rumble and groan as they were stressed before the rock above them shattered in a shower of boulders and stones.

Joey gasped and hugged Joy closer to protect him from the falling rocks. He was startled when he was pulled against the brunet's strong chest, his head tucked beneath his chin. Suddenly feeling very safe, he closed his eyes tightly and leaned closer to him, letting out a small cry of pain as they were thrown to the ground. Still, the brunet's arm was over his head, protecting it from getting hit with any falling debris, and he found himself feeling comforted again.

Soumya continued galloping toward them, even as they disappeared beneath a mountain of rubble from the collapse of the tunnel's ceiling and part of its side. "Shit, damn, fuck! Kankana's gonna kill me!" He began clawing at the pile of rocks frantically, even as some straggling rocks fell and hit him, slicing through his strong scales like a hot knife through butter and causing him the most excruciating pain that he had ever felt. He let out a pained roar as a boulder fell and crushed his hind legs to the ground with an agonizing shatter of bones.

But still, he tried to claw and dig at the debris under which both Seto and Joey were still trapped. That was how Kankana and Amarok found him, a few minutes later, after they'd realized what it was that they'd heard.

Kankana gasped and ran to his side, snuffling beneath his chin worriedly. "Soumya!"

"Seto and Joey-! Trapped under the—" the kirin wheezed, pawing at the rubble pathetically.

"Stop moving! You'll only hurt yourself worse!" she exclaimed, then turned and began digging with her good leg. "Look, I'll dig! You just rest! Others will be here soon, Soumya, I promise!"

Amarok grunted and pressed against the boulder crushing Soumya's hind end. "Just rest, Soumya. We'll get you all out safe and sound."

As the two canines worked and the others came running, they wondered how this could have ever happened. Den was designed by dwarves for the Golden One centuries ago; it was supposed to be a fortress of earth, impenetrable and sturdy. Evil hands must have been used to cause damage of this magnitude in their home.

-x-x-x-

Joey coughed and lifted his head weakly, looking around the dark cave in confusion. Seeing a white fairy warily hovering a few yards away—in the safety of a small niche in the wall—he reached out to it pleadingly. "Come here, please? I can't see—My feet—"

As if sensing there was no immediate danger any longer, the fairy floated closer, illuminating the immediate area around it. Seeing that his feet were stuck under some generally small rocks, he shoved them off and pulled away from the mound of debris from the earthquake. Hearing Joy squeal in horror, he turned, only to find himself horrified as well.

Seto's legs were trapped under a lot more rocks than his feet had been, and they were much bigger, too. His shirt—newly mended and clean—was covered in dust (as he was sure his was too) and torn. But, most frightening of all, was the blood sliding from his scalp, over his forehead, down his temple, along his jaw, and slowly trickling to drip off of his chin.

He was terrified. He didn't know what to do. What if Seto had a concussion? What if he was bleeding from an internal wound and he could do nothing to help him? What if he died before anyone could come to help them?

No. He wasn't going to think such horrible things. That was bad luck and usually brought about bad things.

He looked around and, seeing nothing he could use as a lever to get the larger rocks off of the brunet's legs, Joey crawled around until he was slightly behind him, then turned him onto his back as much as his pinned legs were allowed. He grimaced slightly when he saw that it was the correct position of his legs; that meant that Seto had only turned to protect him, and it was his fault he was hurt. He settled himself slightly behind him and slowly—carefully—eased the brunet's head into his lap.

Looking up at Joy sternly, he stated, "I want ya to go with the fairy and find help. Kaiba's hurt, and I don't know how to help him."

The dragon looked heart-broken momentarily at the thought of being sent away, then stuck out his chest bravely and nodded with an affirmative squeak. Then, turning to squeak at the fairy, he flew off.

Joey looked back down at Seto and sighed, brushing his chocolate-colored bangs out of his face. "You jerk, ya need t' stop protectin' me like this. You're gonna get killed if ya keep tryin' t' save me." He bent to kiss his forehead affectionately. "Especially if ya don't really like me and just kissed me so I wouldn't hafta lose my first kiss to Akuju. Thank ya for that."

He hesitated for a moment, then let his lips drift down to press against the brunet's in a soft, sweet kiss. He gasped as he felt a hand on the back of his head and leaned back with a shriek.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Amarok is from Inuit mythology, and is a gigantic wolf. It is not specified whether Amarok is male or female, so I just made it male. It is said to hunt down and devour anyone foolish enough to hunt alone at night and hunts alone rather than in packs, like a regular wolf. It is sometimes considered the equivalent to the waheela of cryptozoology (the study of and search for animals which fall outside of contemporary zoological articles).

Want to know what the waheela are? Google it! :3


	12. Chapter 11

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Looking up at Joy sternly, he stated, "I want ya to go with the fairy and find help. Kaiba's hurt, and I don't know how to help him."_

_The dragon looked heart-broken momentarily at the thought of being sent away, then stuck out his chest bravely and nodded with an affirmative squeak. Then, turning to squeak at the fairy, he flew off._

_Joey looked back down at Seto and sighed, brushing his chocolate-colored bangs out of his face. "You jerk, ya need t' stop protectin' me like this. You're gonna get killed if ya keep tryin' t' save me." He bent to kiss his forehead affectionately. "Especially if ya don't really like me and just kissed me so I wouldn't hafta lose my first kiss to Akuju. Thank ya for that."_

_He hesitated for a moment, then let his lips drift down to press against the brunet's in a soft, sweet kiss. He gasped as he felt a hand on the back of his head and leaned back with a shriek._

Chapter 11

"You didn't have to stop," Seto whispered, stopping the blond's panic attack before it could start. He reached up and placed his hands behind the younger boy's head, bringing his face down to his again. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Kaiba-! Kaiba, ya shouldn't be movin'!" Joey exclaimed, placing his hands on top of the brunet's. "You got a knock on the head, and your legs—"

"I know." He caught one of the blond's hands in his own, bringing it down to press his lips to it. "It doesn't hurt that badly. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but—" The younger boy sighed sadly, though he did blush from the other's actions. "…Ya need t' stop protectin' me, Kaiba. You've already gotten hurt once. I don't wanna see ya get hurt because of me again."

The brunet kissed his hand again. "But puppy, without you, who will keep me warm?"

Joey frowned worriedly and began feeling around for the CEO's trench coat. "Are ya cold? I can't really see—I'll try to find your coat—"

"Don't bother," Seto ordered quietly, catching his hands again. "I can see just fine. Even if I couldn't, I know it's not here; I dropped it back when Soumya told us to run."

"Oh…" The blond bit his bottom lip worriedly. "Well… I could hold ya. To keep ya warm. You're okay with that, right?"

The older teen shook his head, sighing. "Don't move me. My head aches, and I feel I might be nauseous if you try. Just… just keep touching me. You're so warm… I just need to feel your hand in mine, and I feel warm all over. It feels nice."

"…Okay…" The younger teen answered softly, lifting one hand to coax the brunet's fingers into his hair again and reaching down to stroke his own. "I'll try."

The brunet smiled, pleased, and let his eyes drift shut again. It was so much more soothing now, having the warmth from the blond's hand and the comfort of having his fingers carding through his hair. He could feel the heat, the care radiating through the blond and flowing into him through their joined hands. It was… It was heavenly. If he died today, he could die happy.

…But not totally happy.

Joey squeaked in alarm as the brunet used the hand in his hair to drag his head down. "Kaib-! Mm!"

Seto moaned, his lips muffling the blond's mewl as he reached his other hand up to pull him even closer. He slid his tongue along the younger boy's lips, cautiously coaxing them apart like one would coax a wild animal to come eat out of his hand. He was certain that if he tried to force the blond to do anything, he would shy away for fear he would merely use him and move on. He had to prove that it was also Joey's wishes that controlled what he did, not just his own.

He moaned again as the blond hesitantly parted his lips. The brunet didn't waste a second and delved his tongue into his pup's mouth, tasting him, trying to memorize that sweet texture and flavor. Joey was clumsy; it was his second (Third? Did the kiss he woke up to count?) kiss after all, and he didn't really understand what he was doing.

Well, he'd take the pleasure of teaching him. Gently brushing their tongues together, he tried to persuade the blond to move his in tandem, using one of his hands to stroke his hair soothingly so he wouldn't get nervous. And Joey was so sweet, shyly brushing their tongues together. Seto smiled and allowed him to break kiss.

Joey blushed more and ducked back, bringing a hand to his trembling lips. "K-Kaiba… Why…?"

Seto brushed his hair out of his eyes and sighed. "I don't know what it is, puppy. You've grown on me. You saved me from Kankana, and after you were attacked—by the alp _and_ the Minotaur—you were so sweet and needy. And when you and Joy got together, I couldn't help but think you two were cute." He smiled. "You're so much like a puppy, Joey. And I've always been a dog person."

The blond blushed a little more and bit his bottom lip. "…But you've had t' take care of me the whole time. The only thing I did was keep Kankana from hurtin' ya. All I do is get in your way." He sighed sadly. "…And ya don't even like me, anyway."

"…I don't dislike you," the CEO replied, frowning in confusion. "I _do_ like you, puppy. I don't understand why—"

"You've _never_ liked me!" Joey exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes. "Why would you start just because we were thrown together in this world? You don't—"

"I've always liked you, though," the brunet cut in, reaching up and brushing the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes away. "Don't cry, puppy."

The blond jerked his head away angrily. "Don't lie! You've never liked me! You always treat me like crap and—" He stopped talking abruptly as he felt a jab of ice and furious agony inside of him, but it wasn't his. He frowned.

Kankana had told him he'd be able to do this with certain people; if his soul and the other person's soul were compatible, he'd be able to feel what they were feeling, as long as they were touching. He'd even be able to do it without touching after a little practice.

But it was gone just as quickly as it had come, and as he tried to reach out for it, he felt a wall; the brunet had blocked him with a sheet of ice, though he could sense that a larger, thicker wall of ice had been there at some point, but had been recently ripped down. Perhaps that had been from when his "bandages" had been peeled back and his soul had been healed.

Keeping his mind on the wall of ice but turning his attention back to the brunet he could tell was glaring at him, Joey sighed. "…Why would ya treat me like crap if ya liked me?"

The wall shuddered.

Seto turned his head away. "…Besides Yugi, you were the only one to show me what you were truly feeling. Even Mokuba isn't above faking his emotions, if he believes what he's feeling isn't important compared to what I'm doing. It was refreshing. I just… I didn't want to put you in danger."

The wall shuddered again.

Joey frowned. "Well that sure _failed._"

"You think I planned for that to happen? I tried to drive you all away! I tried to keep _you_ out of the tournament!" the brunet hissed, glaring at him. "But no! You wormed your way in anyway! Do you know how horrified I was when you got hit by lightning!?"

"_Tuh._ Coulda fooled me," the blond muttered, and winced only slightly when he felt a spike of anger as the wall cracked.

He growled and reached up to yank lightly on one of the blond's fuzzy ears. "_Mutt,_ I hated that you'd gotten hurt, but what did you want me to do? I'm not God!"

"Ah, hey! No fair!" Joey reached up to tangle fingers with him, letting out a soft whine when the brunet grabbed his hair and refused to let go. He whimpered a little. "That hurts!"

"I didn't disqualify you. Isn't that worth something? I knew you'd get up first," Seto added softly, frowning. "You're too stubborn to stay down, even when it would be best for you."

The wall trembled, the crack spider-webbing out and causing the ice to groan from stress.

The blond had to make one last dig, to make sure the older teen wasn't lying. "But ya always put me down, made me feel like crap! Do ya know how long I've felt like an idiot? Ya made me feel like trash, like I'm no good t' anyone!"

The wall shattered and collapsed into a pile of sharp, jagged pieces of ice, but a replacement was quickly thrust up in its place, thought it was by far thinner than the one that had broken, and it trembled with the lightest push.

"…I didn't want to see you happy, when I was so miserable."

His voice sounded so sad; Joey felt badly just listening to him. Perhaps… perhaps hurting him and pushing him to do better was the only way Seto knew to interact with people. He had, after all, seen Seto treat people worse. He was especially glad that he wasn't a fan girl, as the brunet could get downright vicious when they didn't back off; even more so when Mokuba was with him and the fan girls turned their attention to him.

Hesitating only for a second, Joey took the brunet's hand in his own and brought it up to his lips. "So ya _do_ like me?"

"I'm not saying it again," the brunet growled, glaring at him. "Just shut the fuck up, mutt. My headache's getting worse."

The blond smiled a little and stroked his hair gently. "…Kaiba?"

Seto growled in frustration and closed his eyes tightly. "_What?!_"

"…Can I call you 'Seto?'"

He opened his mouth to reply that _no,_ he was _never_ to call him 'Seto,' but closed it again as he thought more about it. It had sounded very nice coming from his mouth. He felt cared for, when he said his name, and he hadn't felt that way for a very long time, unless it was Mokuba. Maybe it would be… _okay,_ to let him call him by his given name.

"You can. …If you absolutely _must._"

The younger teen smiled brightly and nodded. "Yeah! I like that. _Seto._"

The brunet rolled his eyes slightly before snuggling into the other boy's lap. "Whatever, puppy."

Joey hummed and went back to stroking his hair. "Ya know, Seto's a really nice name. Just rolls off the tongue." He heard a grunt in response, but when he heard nothing else, he continued. "Mokuba's a really nice name, too. I'm sorta jealous. I mean, _Joseph?_ Yeah, as if my blond hair and accent didn't already scream _foreigner!_"

"Mm… Joey's a nice name…" Seto mumbled, frowning when he realized that the blond was lulling him to sleep with his voice. That could be a bad thing. But his head hurt too much now to open his mouth for fear of vomiting; his head was pounding so hard his eyes crossed and it made him nauseous.

"Yeah, but not as nice and smooth as Japanese names," the younger teen replied, shifting a bit so the brunet's head could rest more comfortably on his lap. "I mean, 'Yugi's a nice name, too. Hey, whatta ya think a good Japanese name would be for me?" He wasn't too concerned when the other teen didn't reply; he had said his head hurt. "Well, you can tell me later, when you're feelin' better. But ya better be thinkin' about it in the back of your mind!" he added, smiling as he looked down at him.

His smile faded when the brunet didn't even acknowledge him. "…Seto?" He shook his shoulder lightly in concern. "Seto, you can't fall asleep. Ya might not wake up!" When this failed to rouse the brunet, he shook him a little harder. "Bastard, wake up! You can't die on me now!"

But even that failed to wake him. Joey let out a frightened sob and hugged him tightly, hiding his face in his shoulder. "Don't do this ta me, ya bastard! We're finally gettin' along and understandin' each other and ya just pass out on me! You jerk! You… ya stupid jerk! You… left me here all alone…"

He lifted his head as he heard a squeal and sniffled, smiling as Joy's familiar eyes appeared in front of him, along with the white fairy. "So I guess there's no one down that way, huh?"

Joy squealed and flew in a circle a few times, then wiggled his way into the blond's shirt and poked his head out, quivering; apparently, just traveling around with the fairy in the unfamiliar tunnels had been a very frightening experience.

"Eh, eh, who is dees?"

Joey let out a shriek and turned, then yelped and cringed away from the gray-skinned, hairless creature looking at him with its yellow, tennis-ball sized eyes. "Oh my fuckin' _gawd!_"

"'Ey, man, I don' scream when I see you," the tiny canine exclaimed, in a very… Hispanic accent.

"Who _are_ you?!" the blond exclaimed, hugging Seto closer protectively.

"Dee other hounds call me 'Tlipo,'" the canine replied.

The blond decided 'Tlipo' looked like a very large, very ugly hairless rat. "…And you're supposed to help me?"

"Are you keeding man?" Tlipo looked appalled. "I'm just walking around, minding my own beezness, when all the sudden dees dragon flies up and starts screaming up a storm!" He shot the dragon a glare. "How am I supposed to help you when I barely keep from being squeeshed myself, man!"

"…What _are_ you?" Joey asked tiredly, rubbing his temple. He was too tired and stressed out for this.

"I'm a _chupacabra [1]_, man." Tlipo sniffed indignantly, then frowned and looked down at Seto. "'Ey, what's wrong with heem, man?"

The blond looked back down at Seto as well and began stroking his hair again. "He got hurt trying to protect me, and now he's trapped under some rocks."

"'Ey, man, I'm the king of rocks," the canine stated, then trotted over to the large rocks piled on top of the brunet's legs. "I'll get dees guy out een no time, man!"

Joey didn't know whether to be thankful or afraid, but decided that the tiny… rat-dog couldn't cause anymore damage. Of course, when one of the larger rocks on top of the cave-in fell and bashed him in the head, he knew he'd been wrong.

-x-x-x-

Seto groaned and dug his head further into the soft pillow he was leaning against, trying to force away his pounding headache. "Oh, God…"

"If you sit up, I can give you something for your migraine."

…Okay, so this world had had some mighty weird things. None of those things had yet been a soft, talking pillow with an English accent.

"Gwah!" He jerked away in surprise to find a massive white wolf—larger than even Amarok—blinking at him innocently. "What the hell?!"

"…So much like a dragon." The wolf sighed and rolled her eyes, then bent her head to carefully nuzzle and lick the blond laying against her side as well. "Wake up, little one. The Dragon Master is alive and well."

Seto frowned as he saw a large bruise on the blond's temple. He hadn't had it when he'd lost consciousness. "What happened? He wasn't hurt when I—"

"When a canine is protecting someone they care about, they sometimes lose… oh, what is the word… discipline, I think. If the pups had just waited for someone smaller to squeeze through, they wouldn't have caused that… cave-drop? No, cave-in." She lifted one of her massive paws and gently ruffled the blond's hair. "Tlipo would have gotten you out just fine, but then the rocks on top of the pile were knocked down because of the others' digging and hit Little Joey in the head."

The wolf had very thick fur, and it felt very warm. Joey snuggled deeper into it, hugging her long fur closer around him like a white blanket. "Mm…"

Well, at least he knew that the blond was okay. Feeling relieved, but also wanting to feel his warmth, Seto slid closer to him, hesitantly lifting a hand to brush his hair out of his face. Hearing a small snort of amusement, he flinched and looked up quickly; if this wolf was anything like Amarok—

But the wolf was smiling at him with genuinely caring golden eyes, even if there was a sort of sadness dimming the beauty of it. "Hmm, compatible souls. I haven't seen that for a very long time among the Golden Ones."

"Are they rare?" Seto asked in confusion, resting his hand against the blond's cheek absently.

"Only with Dragon Masters," she replied, and suddenly the sadness was made clear. "Dragon Masters are some of the most emotionally closed off human beings to ever walk the earth. The only reason Golden Ones have ever gotten through to Dragon Masters in the past is because the Dragon Masters have allowed it. You are the first one that has had his barriers broken down by a Golden One. That means Little Joey is special. …And that means that Akuju will only want him more."

The brunet narrowed his eyes and growled, pulling the younger teen away from the wolf and into his arms. "I won't let that bastard touch him!"

"Hmm." The wolf raised a brow at him. "Perhaps there's a reason he's gotten through to you. You were inviting him to you."

"…I don't know what your talking about, but whatever it is, let's agree to disagree," he answered, and the wolf seemed pleased with this. "What's your name?"

She stood and turned, and in a flash of white light that blinded him, he was faced with a woman with long, white hair and pale skin—like Kisara, but with golden eyes and long fangs. The clothes she was wearing were barely that; barely clothes, anyway. Around her waist was a white fur kilt, and her chest was covered by a swath of identical white fur tied over his shoulder. He could see a white tail hanging limply behind her and a pair of white ears atop her head.

"They call me _Mother [2]_. I'm one of the Ancients, older than even this place." She frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "My true name is Nenne, if that is too intimate for you."

"How…?" Seto frowned. He'd just assumed that the place was where the creatures of myth lived; he hadn't realized that the creatures once lived in their world. Then again, how else would they have become myths?

"They killed my mate and my puppies because they believed we were the reason for a sudden plague," Nenne continued, though she realized that it wasn't what Seto had been asking. "The Golden Ones decided it was time for something to be done before anymore innocent creatures were killed, and Mythaven was created. It was hard to get everyone to come, but humans took care of that. It only took the murder of a family of nymphs because they were thought to be the reason for unfaithful husbands that the creatures here came running."

Her golden eyes glimmered with pain for only a few seconds before they cleared again. "You'll forgive us if some of us don't like humans. Amarok was seduced by a tame wolf and nearly killed by its owners. He doesn't like anyone getting closer to him or the others he cares about."

"So chasing Soumya and me away—"

"A defense mechanism to keep Kankana and the current Golden One from getting hurt," she explained, then flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned back to them.

Seto wondered where she'd suddenly gotten that mug.

"This will help with your migraine. Drink it quickly, though. It tastes like shit," Nenne stated, then took the blond from his arms and sat down, curling her fluffy tail around them carefully. When she heard the CEO sputter in disgust, she smiled, then began stroking Joey's hair out of his eyes and cooing softly. "Wake up, little one. It's time to greet the day." When the blond only whimpered, she brushed the tips of her fingers over his bruise and gave it a small kiss, then whispered, "The dragons want to see the Dragon Master. Maybe if you ask nice enough, he'll take you with him."

"Mm…" Joey whimpered softly, then slowly blinked his eyes open, shutting them again quickly at a flash of white light. "Bright…!"

"Apologies, little one."

The blond tilted his head as he looked up into a caring canine face, then rubbed his head where he'd been hit by the rock. "Man, that's the last time I trust a chupa-whatta."

"Ah, that wasn't his fault." Nenne smiled at him sweetly. "That was Kankana's. In her defense, she didn't think she'd hurt you."

Joey blinked at her, then couldn't help a shy smile as well. "I guess you're Mother?"

"Yes." She twisted her ears around and frowned. "But the dragons are restless and would like to see their master. You should go with them, Joey."

The boy's smile brightened. "Ya called me Joey! Kankana doesn't like callin' me that!"

"I think she has trouble dealing with the fact that the other Golden Ones she's dealt with were at least in their late twenties except for your grandmother," she replied, smiling again. "You skipped a generation. Then again, by what she always complained about your father, it's probably a good thing."

"_Meeee!_"

Seto caught the tiny yellow dragon before it could go through with bashing into the blond's head in its version of an armless hug. "Hello, Joy."

Joey turned his head sharply, a smile on his face. "Joy!"

Joy flapped his wings and cooed, smiling brightly. "_Joy-ee!_"

"Aw, he knows your name!" Nenne exclaimed, smiling at the adorableness. "How cute!"

"…Almost disgustingly so," the brunet stated, releasing the dragon so it could fly over at a slower pace to rub against the younger boy's cheek.

The blond hugged him and cooed as well, rubbing their noses together. "Aw, Joy! You're such a good dragon!"

"Where are Soumya and Kankana?" Seto asked, placing his hands on his hips; he was actually quite curious as to why they weren't there to greet them.

Nenne smiled and stood, nudging Joey to his feet quickly. "Well, they're a bit… tired. From trying to get to you, of course! So we'll let them rest while you go see the dragons, because they're actually very anxious to see you! In fact, we were afraid that Kisara and her sisters would storm Den!"

Seto narrowed his eyes but allowed himself to be ushered out, unconsciously reaching out for the blond's hand. He didn't trust her sudden need to get them out to meet the dragons; she appeared as if she could keep them out with just her spoken word. But, he assumed that Soumya and Kankana were truly tired. He'd just try to see them as soon as he'd convinced his dragons that he was alive and well.

Joey blushed as the brunet grabbed his hand and flashed him a hesitant smile, but it faded immediately when he found the suspicious look on his face. "…S-Seto?"

"It's nothing," the CEO assured him, giving his hand a comforting squeeze and a tiny, barely-there smile. "Let's go see the dragons."

His smile was back immediately, and he nearly bounced with joy. "Yeah! I hope I'll see Red Eyes! That would be so awesome!"

Seto raised an eyebrow and leaned back slightly to watch his rear as he bounced. "Hmm. It would be awesome."

"Yeah! And when we see Blue Eyes—What are you looking at?" Joey frowned.

"…I thought I saw something," he replied, then smirked and released his hand in favor of giving him a sharp slap on the ass.

"OW! What the—"

"Saw a spider."

"Saw a spider my ass!" Joey roared, clenching his hands into fists.

He may not have known his way around, but Seto wasn't stupid enough to stand still. The blond ran after him, shouting curses and shaking his fist.

Nenne sighed, rolling her eyes, then began trotting after them, easily keeping pace. When Joy let out a squeal and tried flapping his wings as fast as a hummingbird to keep up, she caught his tail in between her jaw gently and carried him the rest of the way, ignoring his outraged squeals as he swung from her mouth.

She decided that she'd have to keep her eyes on these two humans; at the rate they were going, they were either going to kill each other, or Seto was going to jump the blond and make him his.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Chupacabra literally means "goat sucker." It sucks the blood (and sometimes internal organs) from goats and sheep and is rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas, from as far North as Maine to as far south as Chile, though the first sightings were mainly in Puerto Rico. It is supposedly a heavy creature (about the size of a small bear) and has spines along its back from the base of its neck to the base of its tail. There have been recent sightings of small, canine-like creatures killing livestock, chickens, and turkeys, but in most of the cases where the creatures were shot and genetically tested, they were either coyotes or foxes with severe cases of mange. I still believe in the chupacabra as a different species, though. **:**D

Here's the address if you want to see the picture I based Tiplo on. Just put the symbols in place of the parenthesis.

Mythicalcreaturesguide(dot)com(slash)page(slash)Itcuintlipotzotli

[2] Mother/Nenne is my own character, and so far, I like her. ^.^ I just needed someone there that was the oldest, and I wasn't going to even try and play "Let's Find the Oldest Mythological Canine." I am not _that_ keen on spending hours of work researching which myth is the oldest. So, Nenne was created. And when I say she's a massive wolf, I mean a MASSIVE WOLF. About the size of an Asian Elephant, maybe smaller (this is about eight feet tall; I'll say she's six feet at the shoulder). And if the outfit sounds familiar, it's sort of based off Kouga from _InuYasha,_ but with a female top and white fur. Nyaaa, we'll see what happens with this character as we go, 'kay? I'm not planning for her to leave Den in this story, but she may.


	13. Chapter 12

Mythaven

_Recap:_

"_Yeah! And when we see Blue Eyes—What are you looking at?" Joey frowned._

"…_I thought I saw something," he replied, then smirked and released his hand in favor of giving him a sharp slap on the ass._

"_OW! What the—"_

"_Saw a spider."_

"_Saw a spider my ass!" Joey roared, clenching his hands into fists._

_He may not have known his way around, but Seto wasn't stupid enough to stand still. The blond ran after him, shouting curses and shaking his fist._

_Nenne sighed, rolling her eyes, then began trotting after them, easily keeping pace. When Joy let out a squeal and tried flapping his wings as fast as a hummingbird to keep up, she caught his tail in between her jaw gently and carried him the rest of the way, ignoring his outraged squeals as he swung from her mouth._

_She decided that she'd have to keep her eyes on these two humans; at the rate they were going, they were either going to kill each other, or Seto was going to jump the blond and make him his._

Chapter 12

"_**Master? Master, are you in there?"**_

"_**Why can't we just walk in?"**_

"_**You heard what Nenne said—we can't all rush in—"**_

Joey shrunk back into the cave, bringing his hands to his chest nervously. He'd been all for going to see the dragons—excited, even—but now that he heard them, all grumbling and anxious, he was hesitant to go out and face them, especially since he was so small and they sounded so big.

Seto glanced back at him in surprise, then frowned and turned toward him. "Puppy? Didn't you want to see the dragons?"

"Um… On second thought, maybe later," the blond replied, smiling at him. He yelped as he was suddenly nudged forward and looked over his shoulder in confusion to find Nenne raising a brow at him. "…Um…"

The CEO raised an eyebrow at him as well. "You're not… scared, are you?"

Joey shook his head and waved his hands in front of him quickly. "No, no! I'm not scared! I just thought that… maybe they wanna meet ya alone, and my bein' there would be—Eep!" He squeaked as the brunet caught his hand and began dragging him out of the cave. He reached his other hand up and grabbed onto his shirt, clinging to him like a small child. "Seto! Wait a sec!"

Seto rolled his eyes but came to a stop just inside the cave. "What is it?"

"…What if they don't like me?" the younger boy asked softly, frowning. "I always lose my duels to ya… What if they don't think I'm worth anything?"

The brunet frowned at him. He'd never realized that his defeats affected him so badly. So, what else was he supposed to do when the younger boy tried to pull away again?

Joey let out a yelp as he was thrown over the CEO's shoulder and dug his fingers into his shirt. "Yeep! Seto! Put me down!" He made a garbled noise as he was carried out into the sunlight and squeezed his eyes shut. "Mm!"

Seto mused that this would be a very good time to cop a feel of the blond's ass, but figured that he was already nervous enough; he didn't need to be afraid that he was going to be molested by someone who had been protecting him. "It's okay, pupp-EE!"

The younger boy let out a yelp as he suddenly found himself falling to the ground and closed his eyes again. He let out a soft 'oof' as he landed on something soft and fluffy. "Agh! Seto?" He couldn't help an amused snort before he quickly covered his mouth. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought the brunet was being _mauled._

Seto had been hooked by the tail of one of the three white dragons waiting in front of the cave, and he was currently being nuzzled and licked and the tail was giving him soft, affectionate squeezes. It would have been a very sweet scene indeed, but for the annoyed expression on the teen's face. But then one of the white dragons gave his face a long, sloppy lick, and the look on his face was priceless.

Joey turned and buried his face into Nenne's fur to muffle his laughter. "Oh, jeez!"

"Put me down, already!" the brunet exclaimed, pushing the offending dragon's head away. "I'm glad to see you, too, but put me down!" Once he'd been released, he dusted himself off and tried to right his clothes. "For the love of—Oh, great! Dragon slobber!"

"_**I do not **__slobber__**,"**_ the largest dragon exclaimed indignantly. _**"Really, Master! How rude!"**_

"_Fine,_ it's dragon _drool,_ whatever." Seto waved it away, trying to dry his face. "You have a very wet tongue, either way."

The Blue Eyes sniffed huffily, then wrapped her tail around him again and brought him in for another nuzzle. _**"Well, just for that-!"**_

"Al_right,_ I'm _sorry!_"

She seemed pleased with that, so she released him again. _**"It's good to see you, Master."**_

The brunet snorted and shot her a small glare. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." He glanced up as Joey came up beside him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "What?"

"Hmm…" The blond smiled at him sweetly. "I like her."

Both boys jumped as the three dragons suddenly let out squeals before Joey found himself being accosted with the same greeting Seto had. "Eep!"

"_**Oh, he's so cute!"**_

"_**Like the last Golden One!"**_

"_**Look, he's so cute when he blushes!"**_

Joey blushed even more and looked at the older teen desperately. "Help me!" When the brunet merely smirked, he let out a small whimper. "Seto…!"

The dragons squealed again. Joey was reminded of excited teenage girls.

"_**He called him 'Seto!'"**_

"_**I heard, I heard!"**_

"_**Seto better not let this one get away, I swear—"**_

Nenne sighed and walked up to them, gently pawing at the dragon's tail. "Alright, I believe Joey's suffered enough."

The dragons let out an 'aw' of disappointment but released him.

But then the largest white dragon was drawing herself up to full height and shooting Seto a glare. _**"Master, you've made the **__Emperors [1]__** very upset! He wants to see you immediately!"**_

"…I'll pass."

"_You__** don't have a choice!"**_ she snarled, wrapping her tail around him again. She turned a smile on the blond. _**"But you do. Joey, would you like to come? You'll get to meet more dragons."**_

"Well…" Joey looked over at Seto, who looked very miffed, then smiled shyly and looked back up at her. "…I guess, if Seto's goin', I wouldn't mind goin' too."

"_**Yay!"**_ The smallest white dragon caught him within her tail and took off. _**"I can't wait to show you off to the other dragons! You're so cute! The other dragons will be so jealous that you're the Golden One instead of the Dragon Master!"**_

"…Way to make a guy feel special," Seto muttered, rolling his eyes, before the Blue Eyes holding him took into the air as well.

The last dragon looked at Nenne and tilted her head. _**"Would you like a lift?"**_

"I'll walk, thank you." She smiled wryly, then suddenly turned and looked at the little dragon that had been hovering next to her, frightened by the larger dragons. "But if you'll take this one, I'd appreciate it. He likes to be near Joey."

She nodded slightly and lowered her head, making a small squealing noise that could be assumed as Dragon Speech. Joy tilted his head, then smiled and, with a happy squeak, flew up and settled behind her horns so he wouldn't get blown away when she took off.

-x-x-x-

"—_**UNACCEPTABLE! YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED IMMEDIATELY FOR ONE OF US TO COME AND GET YOU!"**_

"I didn't _know_ I could—"

"_**SILENCE! THAT IS NO EXCUSE!"**_

Joey cringed and hid his face in Nenne's fur. "They sound really angry."

"I think they were just afraid that something would happen to their Dragon Master," she replied, then knelt. "Get on my back, Little One. We'll go rescue him."

"Are ya sure they won't get angry with us?" the blond asked hesitantly, but crawled onto her back nonetheless. He blinked as Joy let out a frightened squeal, then held the collar of his shirt out slightly, allowing him to hide in there again, quivering. "I mean, you're big, but they sound bigger."

"Oh, they are." She shot him a smug smile. "But I have an understanding with the Emperors. Don't worry."

"…Okay." He gripped her fur tightly as she began into the large cave that held the Emperor Council.

Once inside he found the cave lit with bright white fire in different niches along the walls all along up to the curve of the ceiling. There were three different spots for three very different dragons, though all three of them were obviously the mentioned Emperors.

The dragon in the middle was one he recognized as the dragon of the Duel Monster card Chaos Emperor Dragon—Envoy of the End. He was large, green with silver armor and claws. He had a red mane flowing down his neck and his red eyes were trained on Seto and he looked very, _very_ angry.

The dragon to the left was a golden, snake-like dragon. He knew his name was Genghis Khan—The Emperor Dragon. His brown horns on either side of his head gave the appearance of a helmet. He also had sharp spikes in two long rows down his back, and his yellow eyes were also on Seto. He looked more frustrated than angry, though.

The third dragon was Chthonian Emperor Dragon. He was mostly black, with two sets of black wings and one set of turquoise wings. He had gold mask-like features on his face and gold ribbing and red jewels along his neck. He looked relieved and a little peeved, but his fuchsia eyes were gentle and kind.

Seto scowled. "I still don't think that that's fair. I didn't _know_ I could—"

"_**Enough!"**_ the envoy shouted, and Joy cowered further into his shirt.

"_**But Pater, he's got a point,"**_ the Chthonian cut in, frowning at him, and Joey was surprised to hear that _he_ was a _she._ _**"He didn't know. How could he?"**_

The largest dragon didn't look convinced. _**"Humph!"**_

"_**If I may,"**_ Genghis Khan cut in, making the other two look at him. _**"He was protecting the Golden One, was he not?"**_ When both dragons nodded—one more reluctantly than the other—he continued. _**"And dragons **__did__** come to his aid when he needed it. I don't see what the problem truly is, unless you harbor a dislike for the Golden One, Pater?"**_

Pater narrowed his red eyes and snorted out some smoke. _**"Other than the little fool has forced the Red Eyes into dozens of fights that he couldn't win and even allowed his card to fall from his hands? We're lucky Akai isn't dead and the Blue Eyes aren't bawling."**_

"Excuse me?" Nenne exclaimed, narrowing her eyes.

The three dragons turned toward her sharply. Seto, surprised to see them but worried about the blond, walked over to him and helped him slide from the wolf's back. "Joey? Are you okay?" He was horrified when the younger boy looked up at him with tears forming in his eyes and quickly pulled him into his arms. "Oh, Joey!"

"I knew it, I knew it—I shouldn't even _have_ Red Eyes!" Joey sobbed, hiding his face in the brunet's shoulder.

Joy squealed and wriggled out of his hiding place (where he was coincidentally being _crushed_ between their chests). Seeing the blond crying, he squealed again and rubbed up against his cheek worriedly.

Nenne stomped up to them, looking everything like an angry mother would, and Seto suddenly understood why everyone always tried to avoid an angry mother. "Did you just call my Golden One a little fool? Did you? Because I'll 'little fool' you, you… you… You giant, pompous _salamander!_" she snarled, lips curling upward to show her sharp teeth.

"_**Now, now,"**_ the female dragon soothed, getting between the furious wolf and the other dragon. _**"Let's not be rash."**_

"Rash? _Rash?!_"

"_**Your Golden One may one day have the power to control all of Mythaven, but until then, he is merely a pup needing to be watched over,"**_ Pater replied icily.

"_Ooooh!_ I'll rip your gizzard out!"

"_**I don't **__have__** a gizzard. I am a reptile, not a bird."**_

The wolf let out a frustrated roar. "You anal bastard jerk-face!"

Pater smirked and opened his mouth to snap another insult at both her and the blond, but he was cut off by the angry snarl of, "_That's enough._"

At this, all eyes were drawn to the two boys. Joey was still sobbing, ashamed and humiliated. Seto, on the other hand, was glaring at them all with such a deep, spiteful hatred that they were taken aback, even Nenne. Seto pulled the blond closer, his eyes darkening in anger. "You really _piss me off._ All he's ever done is try his best and you belittle him? That's cruel." He shifted his grip on the blond, then turned to lead him out of the cave. "I have nothing more to say to you."

"_**But Seto—**__Seto!__**"**_

Seto led the younger boy outside and frowned, leaning back to look at his face. "Joey? Don't cry, puppy." He cupped the blond's face in his hands and gently brushed his tears away. "Don't cry."

"But—He said I'm hurting Red Eyes!" Joey exclaimed, trying to push him away weakly, but the brunet was adamant about comforting him. "He said that it was lucky that he wasn't dead and that the Blue Eyes weren't crying!"

"He's a _jerk,_" the CEO soothed, brushing his hair out of his teary eyes. "Don't pay attention to him, okay?"

"B-but—" the blond began, but he was cut off by a loud gasp.

"_**Why is Joey crying? What's wrong?"**_

The three Blue Eyes White Dragons landed in front of them, the smallest one bending her neck until she could gently nuzzle the smaller boy's side. Each of them looked incredibly concerned, which would have seemed strange a few days ago. Now, it wasn't so odd.

"Bastard Emperor said that he keeps hurting Red Eyes." Seto pulled the blond into another hug. "But that's not true."

The smallest Blue Eyes smiled sadly. _**"That's right. Akai was sick centuries before he came into Joey's possession."**_

Joey sniffled and looked up at them in confusion. "A-Akai? Is that Red Eyes?" At an affirmative nod, he held his hands up to his chest and pulled away from the brunet (much to his consternation). "C-can I see him?"

The medium sized dragon frowned. _**"I'm not sure if that's such a good idea…"**_

"_**Aoi, do you really think that Akai would forgive us if we didn't bring Joey to come see him?"**_ the largest dragon sighed.

"Aoi?" The smaller boy tilted his head.

Aoi smiled. _**"Yes. And this Kisara, and this is Shira,"**_ she introduced, pointing first to the largest dragon, then the smallest.

"Nice t' meet ya. …May I _please_ see Akai?" Joey asked again, making his eyes as big and wet looking as possible. Just for good measure, he jutted his bottom lip out a little.

The three dragons melted. _**"Awww!"**_

"_**Look at his cute little face!"**_

"_**I could just eat him up right now!"**_

Seto felt the urge to kiss that pout right off his face but reined it in. It would not do, after all, to kiss his brains out in front of three female dragons that shrieked like teenaged girls and a wolf with motherly instincts, after all. Especially since he'd nearly gone deaf at the dragons' screeches over the blond's adorable expression. Joey had won this round, and he'd probably always win if he used _that_ expression of Adorably Cute Wonder.

"_**Alright. But you have to be very quiet, and if he asks us to leave, we have to go,"**_ Kisara explained, curling her tail around the blond's waist.

"Okay!" Joey exclaimed brightly, smiling. He turned and made a 'come' motion with his hand. "Come on, Joy!"

Joy squealed and flew out of the cave from helping Nenne protect him, then shot down his shirt. "_Meee!_"

"DAW! What the hell, Joy!?" he exclaimed, pulling the collar of his shirt out to look down at the tiny dragon.

He envied the yellow dragon at this point. He really did. Sighing, Seto stepped up beside him and ruffled his hair. "Perhaps he was more frightened of the Emperors than he let on."

The younger boy smiled sweetly and cooed, "Aw, Joy, ya did that for me? You're such a sweet little dragon!"

The brunet looked up at Kisara and smiled a little. "So, are we going to go?"

Shira smirked and 'elbowed' him with her tail. _**"Oh, I know what you're trying to do, Master. Don't think we don't see what you're doing."**_

"What is she talkin' about, Seto?" Joey asked, turning his big, inquisitive eyes on him.

He felt badly for lying. But only a little. "Something to do with the Emperors, puppy."

"Oh. …Should someone stay behind and tell Nenne where we're going?"

"_**OW! GET OFF ME! GET HER OFF!"**_

"…No, I think she'll be okay," the brunet replied, and the others agreed as a shot of fire came flying out of the cave.

The flight wasn't very long, but it wasn't incredibly short, either. There was a large dell nearby, and just off of it a small cave, just big enough for one fully grown dragon. The two boys were set down at the edge of the glen, and Aoi and Shira backed away. Kisara urged them to the mouth of the cave.

"_**He's very sick. Try and speak quietly."**_ She nuzzled Joey gently. _**"And make your concern and care known while you're in there, too, will you?"**_

"Alright," the blond answered quietly, then hesitantly stepped into the cave. Seconds later, Seto followed, holding a flame above his head so they could see.

A dull red eye rolled open and slid onto them, the slit black pupil seeming eerie. _**"…Who are you?"**_ The dragon's voice was so feeble and sad. He sounded just as bad as he looked.

Joey felt his heart break a little. "…Akai…?" When the dragon grunted quietly, he rushed forward and threw his arms around him. "Oh my God! Are you okay, Red Eyes? They said ya were sick, but I thought they were exaggeratin'!"

"_**Master…?"**_ The dragon lifted his head, then wheezed and began uncurling himself from his fetal position. _**"I thought you were here. I need you to do me a favor."**_

The blond leaned back and frowned in confusion. "Okay. What's wrong, Akai?" He gasped as he saw was the dragon had been curled around. "What's that!"

"_**My sibling. I've been keeping the egg warm for a year."**_ He rolled the egg toward him. _**"I need you to take care of it for me. I can't do it anymore. It's taken too much out of me."**_

"But…" Joey looked down at the egg, then looked back up into his dragon's hazy red eyes. "Akai… I can't. I need t' help _you_."

Akai smiled. _**"I'm too far gone. I've been sick for centuries, Master. Tell the girls I'm sorry I couldn't be a better mate."**_ His smile faded. _**"…Tell them I wish I could have been."**_

"But—" the blond began, but the black dragon was already curling up in another ball. "…Akai… Akai, please—"

"I don't think he wants you to do anymore for him, puppy," Seto stated quietly, patting him on the head, before he knelt and grabbed the large red egg. He stood up and eased it into the younger boy's arms. "I think leaving him alone is all he wants."

"But…" Joey hugged the egg close and looked down at it, tears forming in his eyes again. "I'm s'posed t' just leave 'im here?"

The brunet brushed his hair out of his eyes and frowned. "Joey, he's not giving you a choice."

"I don't wanna leave 'im here alone!" the younger boy exclaimed, hugging the egg tighter and leaning his cheek against it. It was very warm, and he found it comforting. "Seto, I can't leave him alone!"

"We'll see if we can't get one of the other dragons to watch him, okay?" Seto cupped the blond's face in his hands and rested their foreheads together. "But you have to focus on the egg in your arms. It needs to be taken care of. Akai's admitting he's too far gone for you to help him. Take care of his sibling for him."

Joey sniffled and nodded slightly. "Okay. …Seto?" He looked up at him and bit his bottom lip. "You'll help me, won't ya?"

The brunet blinked at him for a moment, then leaned in and claimed his lips in a quick kiss. He winced as he felt a sharp pain in his calf and broke the kiss quickly in favor of looking down to see what had attacked him. "Ow!"

"_**Not in my cave, please."**_ Akai had jabbed him in the calf with his tail. And it had hurt.

"Sorry," Seto mumbled, then turned the blond and steered out of the cave. "Let's go find Nenne."

"But what about Akai-?"

"I'll get Kisara to stay with him. Don't worry." He glanced back at the dragon and frowned. He could sense his aura weakening. "…We'll have to talk to Soumya and Kankana as soon as we get back to Den."

"…Yeah…" Joey leaned his cheek against the egg and bit his bottom lip to keep from crying. "Okay."

-x-x-x-

"Well what are we s'posed t' do? Just wander around 'til we stumble across 'em?" Joey asked in frustration, scowling. "It's been fifteen minutes. We have been walkin' around for _fifteen minutes._"

"I know! I know it's been fifteen minutes!" Seto exclaimed, turning to shoot him a glare. "I'm _sorry!_ I thought I could find out where we were going!"

"Yeah, how's that goin' for ya?"

"I swear to God, Wheeler, I'm in such a bad mood that I will take you over my knee and _spank_ you if you keep talking!"

Joey huffed but kept his mouth shut. He really believed that Seto would spank him with the proverbial black storm cloud floating over his head. Ever since they'd started into Den, the brunet's mood had worsened and worsened. He didn't really know why, but he knew better than to ask; Seto Kaiba was _not_ a person to mess with when he had his 'I'll-kill-you-if-you-even-_look_-at-me-funny' expression on.

He looked down at the egg in his arms as it trembled and frowned in concern, then reached out and hesitantly tugged on the brunet's sleeve. "Hey, Seto?"

"_What?!_" Seto snarled, turning to glare at him, but immediately regretted it when he saw the hurt look on the blond's face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then sighed and tried again. "…What?"

"…Is somethin' bad gonna happen if the egg moves?"

"Wha-?" The brunet raised an eyebrow, then looked down at the egg. When no better answer was forthcoming, he pressed a hand against the thick red shell in confusion. Feeling the dragon inside squirming around and causing the shell to tremble from the tiny impacts, he smiled and lifted his face to the younger boy's face. "It's okay. It's just moving around. Kind of like how a baby moves around in its mother's stomach and you can feel it, you know?"

"So it's okay?" Joey asked in relief, smiling a little.

The CEO nodded and looked back down at the egg, then lifted his gaze back to the blond's face again quickly. "Hey, puppy?"

The blond looked up at him and tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"…Do you want me to hold it for a while?"

It took a few moments before the question really sank in. The younger boy frowned, confused, and opened his mouth to answer that he was fine, but thanks for the offer. Suddenly feeling a spike of hope from the other boy, however, he realized that the brunet _wanted_ to carry the egg; he was just too used to being rejected that he didn't want to deal with the pain and had taken the most roundabout way to asking.

Smiling sweetly, he nodded, and was pleased to find the brunet blushing a little and looking away from him. "Okay."

Seto took the egg from his arms and tilted his head slightly as he looked down at it again. It felt warm, and just seemed to radiate good feelings. It was like it was trying to make him lose his bad mood. He blushed as he felt something soft and warm pressing to his cheek and glanced over quickly to find the blond pulling his lips away. He'd just gotten a kiss on the cheek from him.

Joey continued to smile at him. "Thanks. My arms were feelin' a little tired. Just tell me when ya want me t' take it back, 'kay?" So saying, he turned and took the lead, clasping his hands behind his back.

The brunet's gaze immediately slid down to the younger boy's ass. He couldn't help it. It wasn't his fault the blond's ass kept bouncing when he walked! …Wait a second. He turned his gaze back up to the blond's face to find him watching him intently.

The younger boy smiled a little, though it looked sad. "I knew it. Ya don't really like me at all, do ya? Ya just want in my pants."

"What?" Seto blinked at him in confusion, then gasped in realization. "No! That's not what I want at all!"

"It isn't? Then what _do_ ya want? I don't _have_ anything worth takin', 'cept my egg. And you're already holdin' it." Joey frowned. "Why do ya hafta play with me? It's bad enough that ya make it so obvious that ya wanna sleep with me, but then ya go and do such sweet, carin' stuff for me. Why do ya do that?"

The brunet growled in frustration. "That's _not_ what I _want,_ you selfish little brat!" When the smaller boy flinched, he stomped up to him and reached out to grab his arm. "If I just wanted sex I wouldn't go out of my way to help you!"

"Ow! That hurts!" The blond winced slightly and grabbed his hand. "Let go!"

"'Ey, man, is dees guy roughing you up?"

Joey turned his head sharply in surprise. "Tlipo!"

The tiny dog growled and coiled to strike, his lips curled back to expose his sharp teeth. "Dees guy bothering you, man? I'll keel heem for you eef I have to!"

"Ahaha… NO, Tlipo, it's fine," the blond exclaimed, waving his free hand frantically.

"What the hell is _that?_" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow. "An undead rat?"

Tlipo began hopping up and down in fury. "Okay, man, dat does eet! I'm going to reep your head clean off!"

Joey waved his hands again. "Please don't, Tlipo! I need him alive! I'm takin' care of a dragon's egg and—"

"Bah, you're right." The chupacabra scowled. "Death would be too easy on heem. Fine." He looked up at the blond and frowned. "What are you doing all alone een Den anyway, man? You could get lost een here eef you're not careful."

"Actually, we're looking for Soumya and Kankana!" the blond answered, clasping his hands together hopefully. "Do ya know where we could find 'em?"

Tlipo shot the brunet another warning glare before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I know where dey are. I'll take ya to 'em."

Joey smiled. "Really? That's great! Thanks, Tlipo! You're the best!"

The dog snorted. "Yeah, just remember dat when ya meet da other dogs. You'll like dem better, I guarantee eet."

"I promise you'll be number one on my list whenever I need help!" the blond replied. "You're so cool, always there when I need ya and helpin' me when ya don't hafta!"

The chupacabra nearly glowed with pride. "Yeah, and don't you forget eet, man!"

Seto grunted as the smaller boy elbowed him in the side. "What?"

"Saved your ass _again,_" the blond hissed, smirking a little. "Man, ya suck at bein' a dog person!"

The CEO rolled his eyes, then gave him a slap on the ass as punishment. He would speak to him about his outburst later, in private. "Whatever."

"OW! What the _hell,_ man!? You're lucky you're carryin' that egg!"

It was nice to see that they were at least consistent in their abuse of each other.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] So I was looking for an Emperor dragon for the fic, and I Googled it. There are _three_ separate dragon cards—that have _nothing_ to do with each other—that have the word 'emperor' in the name. I'll give you links so you can go look, in case my descriptions weren't helpful (which I don't think they were). Just put the symbols in place of the words and parentheses.

First is Chaos Emperor Dragon—Envoy of the End. The reason he's in the middle is because he's got the highest attack points. His name is Pater after Bis Pater. It's an underworld/death/afterlife thing.

yugioh(dot)wikia(dot)com(slash)wiki(slash)Chaos(underscore)Emperor(underscore)Dragon(underscore)-(underscore)Envoy(underscore)of(underscore)the(underscore)End

Second is his "right hand" Genghis Khan—The Emperor Dragon. He's the right hand because he's got the second highest attack points. I kept Genghis Khan. It's just easier.

yugioh(dot)wikia(dot)com(slash)wiki(slash)Genghis(underscore)Khan(underscore)-(underscore)The(underscore)Emperor(underscore)Dragon

Lastly is Chthonian Emperor Dragon, which I made female and the voice of reason for Pater. …And for my amusement. Her name—though unmentioned at this point—is Persephone, because Chthonian has to do with the after life (A-FREAKIN'-GAIN). I just thought "female" and "afterlife." Ah, Persephone, Hades' wife. Rock on. **:**D

yugioh(dot)wikia(dot)com(slash)wiki(slash)Chthonian(underscore)Emperor(underscore)Dragon


	14. Chapter 13

Booyah! This one is longer than all of the other chapters so far! **:**D

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_The chupacabra nearly glowed with pride. "Yeah, and don't you forget eet, man!"_

_Seto grunted as the smaller boy elbowed him in the side. "What?"_

"_Saved your ass again," the blond hissed, smirking a little. "Man, ya suck at bein' a dog person!"_

_The CEO rolled his eyes, then gave him a slap on the ass as punishment. He would speak to him about his outburst later, in private. "Whatever."_

"_OW! What the hell, man!? You're lucky you're carryin' that egg!"_

_It was nice to see that they were at least consistent in their abuse of each other._

Chapter 13

When they finally got to Soumya and Kankana, they were horrified. Joey clapped his hands over his mouth in horror, eyes wide and shaking. Seto showed no outward sign of distress on his face, but his arms did go slack, accidentally allowing the egg to slip from his grip.

Tlipo let out a yelp and scrambled to break the egg's fall with his own tiny body. "Yipe! Hey, watch eet, man!"

He needn't have bothered. Dragon shells were thick—as thick as a person's forefinger—as the parent dragons were used to rolling the eggs around the nest to keep them from getting too warm on one side of the egg and too cold on the other. Instead, all he ended up with was a headache, backache, and stomachache. He grumbled about stupid Dragon Masters and rolled the egg over to the side of the small den.

Joey let out a distressed whimper and rushed over to the kirin, placing his hands on his shoulders anxiously. "Soumya! You're hurt! What happened!?"

Soumya smiled bitterly and turned his head to look up at him. "A boulder fell on my ass and crushed my legs."

"Oh! But, can't anyone do somethin' about it? Are ya hurtin'? Should I go ask Mother t' get some of that stuff she gave Seto? It worked wonders on him!" the blond exclaimed, frantic to help his friend.

The dragon-deer waved it away. "The bones in my legs suffered minimal damage. It's my hips and the base of my spine that will need time to heal. Kankana and I have discussed what should be done." He smiled tenderly at the inugami pressed up against his side. "She wanted to wait until I was healed, the little dear." His smile faded just as quickly as it had come.

Seto frowned. "What's wrong with that? We can wait a little while for you to heal."

"It will take weeks, and Joey doesn't have that time," he explained, sighing, as he turned his gaze back on them. "Gaiga has graciously offered to carry you and help find your friends."

"Who's Gaiga? And why can't we wait for ya t' heal?" Joey asked, frowning. "I don't understand."

The kirin frowned in thought. "…I… believe you know him better as 'Giga-Tech Wolf.'"

"I own that one. I used it once." Seto tilted his head. "…Once."

"And he remembers you," Soumya answered. "He was proud to have fought alongside your dragons."

Joey tilted his head. "A wolf and dragons? …Dragons. Dragon!" He turned toward Seto sharply, face twisting into a glare. "Where's my egg, Kaiba?!"

"Ah…" The brunet looked down at his hands, then at the ground. "Um, I…"

"'ey, man! You're not supposed to drop dese tings!" Tlipo exclaimed, rolling the egg over to them.

Soumya tilted his head. "Dragon eggs are resilient. A nest was known to survive an atomic bomb."

"Yeah, whatever, man," the chupacabra muttered, waving a paw at him carelessly as the blond hurriedly picked up the egg. "He steel shouldn't be dropping them, okay?"

"Perverted _bastard._" The blond shot the other human a glare before cooing down at the egg. "It's okay, baby, Mama's here. Kaiba can't hurt ya anymore."

Seto growled and glared at the younger boy momentarily, then thrust his hand down his shirt and grabbed the little dragon that had been sleeping there. Throwing the dragon at Kankana (where he landed with a 'thop' and didn't even wake up), he began to drag the blond out of the cave. "We'll be right back!"

The two awake mythical beings blinked after him before the tiny dog looked up at Soumya. "What's weeth heem, man? Eet's like he's got a steek shoved up hees butt."

Joey let out a yelp as he was yanked into another nearby den and tried to yank his hand back, but the brunet wasn't letting him go. "Kaiba-! Lemme go!"

"Oh, so we're back to 'Kaiba' then?" Seto exclaimed angrily, spinning back toward him. "No more 'Seto?' Does it not _roll off your tongue_ anymore? You didn't even _ask_ me if I was just planning to have sex with you—which I'm _not!_"

"B-b-but—" the blond began, cowering back against the wall, but the older teen cut him off.

"But what?! I wouldn't take care _of_ you if I didn't care _for_ you! I care! I don't want anything bad to happen to you, I don't want you to cry, I don't want you to hurt—AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" the brunet shouted, throwing his hands up in agitation. "I can't win with you, Joey! You won't let me! Every time I start to get close to you, you pull away, putting up some sort of wall that you won't let me pass-!" He grabbed the smaller boy's shoulders and shook him roughly. "Why won't you let me in?!"

Joey whimpered and tried to wince backward, but he was already pressed tightly to the wall. "Stop it, Kaiba! You're hurtin' me!"

"Then why won't you _tell me_ how I can show you I don't just want you for _sex?_" the CEO asked, desperate for an answer to make right by his puppy. "I'll do _anything_ you ask—You don't want me to call you dog names? Never again! You don't want me to touch you? I won't come within three feet of you! Just… Just tell me how I can please you."

"I don't want ya t' decide that I'm not worth your time and toss me aside!" the blond exclaimed, tears forming in his eyes. "But I know ya will! Because that's what my mom and dad did, that's what _Hirutani's gang [1]_ did! I know you'll do it!"

Seto frowned. "Puppy, I wouldn't—"

"You _will!_ I know ya will!" The smaller boy shoved the egg into his arms and sobbed, taking the brunet's stunned pause as a chance to escape and taking it.

The brunet turned ran to the tunnel the den led out to and looked around frantically, but the other boy had already disappeared down into some other tunnel. He could still hear the blond's sobs echoing back to him, mocking him because he wasn't there to wipe his tears or stifle his cries.

He looked down at the egg in his arms and sighed, then turned and began into Soumya's den to leave the egg with him. He didn't want to chance dropping it if he needed to grab Joey to keep from running again, no matter how thick the shell was.

-x-x-x-

Joey kept running for as long as he could, trying to put as much distance between the older boy and himself. He didn't want to face him for a long, long time. No one had ever wanted him except Serenity, Yugi, and Tristan, and they'd had to go through some extreme situations together—sometimes even life or death. He knew that Yugi would never leave him behind, and neither would Tristan or Serenity, but anyone else he knew he couldn't count on.

Téa was all about friendship, but he knew that if he ever needed back up in a fight, she'd balk. He and Duke weren't necessarily on good terms. He didn't really get along with Rebecca, because she liked to use big words just to confuse him. He and Mokuba got along real well, but Seto always…

Seto…

Joey shook his head quickly and put on another burst of speed. He ducked into the nearest den he found and went as far back as he could, then curled up in a ball and buried his head in his arms. _'I hate this!'_

He only wanted someone to love him, to care for him and make sure he was safe. He wanted to feel like someone's special treasure, not like a booty call. Why wouldn't anyone ever see him like that?

"Why are you crying?"

The blond jumped and looked up, sniffling and wiping his eyes as he peered up at the man watching him. "N-no reason."

"Hmm." The man stepped out of the shadows, showing that he had large flesh-colored bat wings and a long, forked tail extending from his back. His long legs were encased in a tight pair of jeans and his muscular torso was covered by a leather vest. A pair of curled black horns extended from his almond-colored hair, and his red eyes glittered as he stepped into the light of a few fairies. "I don't believe that for a minute. Why would the Golden One cry so?"

"W-who are you?" Joey asked softly, suddenly feeling wary. This guy gave him a really weird vibe.

"Call me Bawa" He reached out and gently brushed the blond's cheek. "Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't cry."

"Uh…" The teen reached up and covered the area the brunet had touched with his hand. "…Thank you?"

Bawa smiled charmingly, and the blond felt an unfamiliar rush of desire flush through him. "You're welcome."

"Ah…" He wiped his eyes again and stood, uncomfortable with his vulnerable position, then looked up at the other man again. "…M-Mother will be lookin' for me. I should get back."

"Don't go yet, please?" The man grabbed his hands and pulled him back, still smiling sweetly. "It's been so long since I've had company. Just a little longer?"

"Well…" He blushed a little and tilted his head, then nodded slightly. "Okay. I guess a few more minutes won't hurt."

"Good!" Bawa's smile was brighter, but there was something that the blond didn't quite like about it. "So, tell me. How long have you been in Mythaven?"

Joey tried to discreetly pull his hands away, but the brunet didn't take the hint. "No more than a week."

"Not even a week, huh? How do you like it so far?"

"It's okay." He tried to pull away again, a little more bluntly. He bit his bottom lip worriedly when Bawa still refused to let go. "Um… c-could ya please let go of my hands?"

The brunet's red eyes darkened, and his smile immediately twisted into a smirk as he suddenly turned and crushed the teen's body against the wall with his own. "But why do that when I have you all to myself?"

"Aha-!" Joey struggled wildly, but the man was inhumanely strong. "What _are_ you?!"

Bawa leaned his face into the blond's neck and breathed in deeply, then moaned softly. "Oh, gods, you smell so fucking _good…_" A few seconds later, the teen's question registered. "My father is _Popobawa [2]._ I'm named after him." He groaned quietly, pressing closer to him. "Nn… I'm an incubus. …But I have my father's taste."

"I-incubus? W-what's that?" The blond yipped as the newly-proclaimed incubus wrapped his tail around his wrists and pinned them above his head, then let out a whimper as this left the demon's hands free to begin roaming around his body. "Nooo!"

The brunet chuckled darkly and began biting and sucking at the teen's neck. "You don't know what an incubus is? How… delightfully sweet." He leaned back to shoot the blond a feral grin. "That naivety will make taking you so much sweeter."

Joey struggled to yank away and twisted his golden ears back in distress, whimpering feebly as he lifted his leg to try and shove him away. "Please…! Don't!"

"An incubus is a demon that lives for sex, especially with virgins. Usually female, but as I've taken after my father…" He smirked. "I prefer men. Even if you are barely a man."

"Get off! No, I don't—_Haaa!_" His eyes flew open as the incubus reached down to rub his crotch. "Ahn-! Please, don't!" He gasped weakly as his cock was given a rough squeeze, then clenched his eyes shut. "I can't, please! Don't do this t' me! I don't wanna do this! Don't make me do this…!"

Bawa moaned and kneaded his crotch affectionately, his other hand reaching to unbutton his pants. "You know you like it."

"_No!_ I don't want this! Seto! _Seto!_" He whimpered as he felt his pants sliding down his legs to gather at his ankles. "No! _No!_ I won't! Let go! _Seto!_"

The brunet leaned back and raised an eyebrow. "Seto? Who is that?"

"_**MINE!**_"

Joey let out a startled gasp as the tail keeping his hands bound was grabbed right in front of his face and crushed. He could hear the bones creak and snap before his hands were free, and then the demon was lifted bodily and flung across to the other side of the den. Then he saw the broad, tall back of the brunet he'd been running from and calling for.

Seto snarled, his eyes glowing brightly. He looked every part an angry dragon, his eyeteeth extending just far enough to pass his bottom lip, and his rage was causing an electric current to crackle in the air around him. "My puppy. _MY_ puppy. How dare you touch what's mine!?"

Bawa shrank backward. "…I… didn't know…" He measured his chances up with a few quick glances. The pissed off Dragon Master was between him and the exit. How would he be able to get out when the other man was intent on eliminating any threat to his treasure? …Unless it was threatened again…

Seto let out another snarl as the incubus shot a ball of fiery white electricity at them, then turned and braced himself against the wall, making sure that he wasn't touching the blond but was still protecting him. He grunted as the electricity hit his body, his muscles spasming with the shocks, but he resolutely kept his body away from the other boy's. He could see Joey's horrified expression. He felt horrible for making him see his pain, especially since he'd already hurt him.

He stayed still until the last of the painful tremors had long since passed. Then, slowly—ever so slowly—he slid to his knees and shuddered weakly. "…Fuck…"

Joey looked down at him and whimpered, tears forming in his eyes again. Why was Seto always getting hurt trying to protect him? Why did he keep taking pain meant for _him?_

The brunet sighed, then reached out and grabbed the younger boy's pants to slide them upward. He carefully did up the button and zipper, then looked up at him and offered him a hesitant smile. "Are you okay, puppy?"

"I… I…" The blond sobbed, then fell to his knees and hid his face in the CEO's chest, bawling. "He was gonna rape me and he wasn't even here because of Akuju-! What kind of creature does that?!"

Seto sighed and held him tightly, burying his face in the smaller boy's thick hair. "I'm sorry, puppy. I should have gotten here sooner." He rubbed the blond's back soothingly. "Don't cry, puppy. You're going to give yourself a stomachache."

"Everyone's so intent on fucking my brains out-! Why don't _you_ fuck me and get it over with!?"

The brunet blinked, taking a few minutes to get the frustrated exclamation through his pain fogged brain. When it _did_ finally register, he frowned and leaned back to look at him. "You don't mean that."

"Why not!?" Joey exclaimed angrily. "Ya want me, don't ya?! And I don't wanna lose my virginity because somethin's too horny to keep its penis to itself—"

"I will _not_ have sex with you just because you're afraid to have someone else do it," Seto snarled, standing, then offered the blond his hand. "I told you, I care about you. I don't want our sex to be ruined by your desperation to have someone you know take what is obviously most precious to you." He forced a sad smile. "After all… I am obviously not the one that you truly want to lose your virginity to."

The blond hesitantly slid his hand into the one offered and was immediately bombarded by the older boy's emotions. Hurt, longing, and resolve were among the fore, with a lying undercurrent of care and anger. He'd… hurt him. He'd actually hurt him. But just as quickly as they were there they were withdrawn, and he found the wall he came to sturdy, inches thick, and unwilling to bend to his will.

He frowned as the brunet winced when pulling him up. "…Seto… Are you okay…?"

"'m fine. My muscles are just a little achy." Seto waved it away. "Let's go. Soumya was worried about you and Kankana's going to _be_ worried about you if she wakes up."

"…Okay…" Joey looked down at his feet and sighed somberly, then followed him out of the den into the tunnel to return to their guardians.

-x-x-x-

Nenne was surprised to find the Golden One curled up around a dragon egg in her den, but she wasn't shocked. She walked over to him and curled around him, frowning. "What's wrong, little one?"

"I messed up." He turned and buried his face in the wolf's thick fur. "I was so afraid of bein' hurt that I hurt Seto first. I didn't _mean_ t' hurt him, but I did. And now he's blocked me out." He looked up at the wolf tearfully. "How do I make this right? He's so mad at me—I didn't mean t' hurt him like that!"

"First off, don't assume that you've messed up so badly that he won't give you a second chance. If you give a sincere enough look, and explain that you want another chance, he should allow it. So, show me your sincere face."

Joey blinked, then looked up at her in confusion as another tear rolled down his cheek. "Huh?"

She nodded. "Yes! Just like that! …Except without the confusion. You don't want to make him think that you're not sure about wanting a second chance. Now, try again."

Realizing what she was asking of him, the blond nodded. "Okay." He bit his bottom lip for a moment, then looked back up at her with the biggest, wettest puppy-dog eyes he could manage. "Like this?"

Nenne smiled. "Yes. …But do that thing with the lip. Your grandmother does it quite well."

It took a few moments for him to figure out what she meant, but when he did, he jutted his lower lip out a little. "You mean pout like this?"

She nodded proudly. "Yes. He'll crumble at your feet."

Joey relaxed his face and looked down at the egg on his lap, stroking the strong shell absently. "…But what will I say t' him?"

"Well…" She tilted her head thoughtfully, then looked back down at him, her golden eyes soft and caring. "It has always been my experience that the truth has the best results. If you tell him you were scared—that you were afraid of being hurt by him—he should understand. And… a dark, icy soul can always be brightened and warmed. After all, light conquers the darkness, even the tiniest bit, and fire is more resilient than ice, as long as it has fuel and can breathe."

The blond tilted his head, confused. "I don't get it. If he's adamant about being an ice cold bastard in the dark, then—"

"As long as fire has fuel and can breathe, it will not die, and it will keep warming and lighting whatever is near it. As long as you keep after the Dragon Master, he will not be able to keep away your warmth." She smiled and stood, shaking her fur out. "I must go speak with Gaiga. The Dragon Master should still be with Soumya. The sooner you speak with him, the sooner you heal his soul, and the less time the wound has to fester."

"I hurt his soul?!" Joey exclaimed, looking up at her worriedly. "Nah uh! I couldn't 've… How do I get there from here? This place is a freakin' maze!"

Nenne nodded and began padding away from him. "Easier to find intruders. We know the ways around, but they don't. Come with me. The den you want is on the way to where I'm going."

"Okay." He started to jog after her, but after only a few seconds of that, she grabbed him by the back of the shirt and with a jerk of her head, he was lying atop the soft fur. "Hey! What the hell?!"

"Your legs are _tiny._" She snorted indignantly, then began walking again, covering more ground in a few steps than he could in a sprint.

She got him there in record time; only two minutes later, he was standing outside the den he'd been wanting, trying to gather the courage to go in. The dragon in the egg squirmed, as if sensing his hesitancy. He could only assume that it was restless because he was nervous. He didn't want the baby dragon stressed.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside. He almost cooed at the cuteness.

Kankana was still asleep and leaning against Soumya. The kirin had curled his neck in what looked like an uncomfortable position to have his nose resting against the top of her head, and his tail had curled around to his side and was lying across Seto's lap. Seto himself was taking a small nap as well, leaning up against the dragon-deer's broad side, with the tiny Joy curled up on his crossed arms, snoring squeakily against his chest.

Seeing that his resolve had been for nothing, he sighed and walked over to look down at the sleeping brunet. He watched him for a few seconds, to see if he was really asleep, then sat down in front of him and frowned, stroking the red shell again. "…I didn't mean t' hurt ya, Seto. I didn't want _you_ t' hurt _me._ I never thought you'd actually… _like_ me. I thought ya were such a regal dragon, that ya wouldn't want a stupid mutt like me slowin' ya down." He sighed again, then turned so his back was pressed up against Soumya's side and snuggled up to the brunet, laying his head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I hurt ya, dragon."

Seto opened one eye to glance at him skeptically. Seeing the anguish on the blond's face, the pain in his eyes, he could see he was sincere. He smiled a little and closed his eye again. He'd give Joey another chance. He was too sweet not to.

Waiting only a few seconds, he carefully uncrossed his arms to keep from dislodging Joy, then wrapped his free arm around the blond's shoulder and pulled him closer. When the smaller boy began to squirm nervously, he let out a small growl and yanked him closer, killing any fight he still had in him. He turned his head and nuzzled the blond's hair, then settled back into meditation, lifting his hand to idly play with the golden strands.

-x-x-x-

Seto hummed and opened his eyes again, feeling refreshed and calm. He unconsciously hugged the boy beneath his arm closer and yawned, raising his other arm in a stretch and accidentally dislodging Joy from his sleeping place. The yellow dragon bounced off his lap and landed on the floor with a disgruntled _'meeeee!'_

"Sorry, Joy," the brunet muttered, then turned his head and smiled as the adorable expression of his beautiful puppy. He reached up to gently fondle one of his furry ears. "I swear, pup, if you knew how pretty you really are…"

"_Eeg!"_

He frowned. "'Eeg?' What the hell are you trying to say, Joy?"

Joy flapped up to hover in front of his face and let out another worried _'eeg!'_ When the human merely shot him an annoyed glance, he squealed and turned, head butting the egg still wrapped securely in the blond's arms. _"Eeg!"_

"Huh? Oh. Egg." Seto turned his attention back to the blond so sweetly nestled against him. Once the dragon's worry registered, he jerked his head back toward it. "What's wrong with the egg?!"

"_EEEEEEEEEEEEGGGGG!"_ the dragon squealed, flapping around the den frantically and effectively waking up the rest of its occupants.

Joey jerked awake and looked around, confused and disoriented. "Whazzit? Where's th' fire?"

"Joy says something's wrong with the egg," Seto answered, trying to ease the egg out of the blond's grasp.

"Wrong…? Wrong?!" He looked down at the egg with a crushed expression. "Not only am I killin' my dragon, but I'm killin' his egg, too?"

The brunet yanked the egg out of his arms and scowled. "You didn't kill Akai and you aren't killing his egg!"

"What's going on? Should I go get Mother?" Kankana asked, yawning widely.

Soumya whipped his tail around and lashed across her rump, causing her to jump to her feet with a startled squeal. "Go tell your mother that a baby dragon is about to hatch inside of Den and to go tell the Emperors to keep the other dragons from storming into your home."

Her limp was decidedly hurried as she made her way out. "Right on it!"

"It's hatchin'!? B-but Akai just gave it t' me!" Joey exclaimed, reaching up to grab onto his hair anxiously.

"Dragon eggs only need to incubate for eleven to thirteen months," Soumya explained, frowning in concern. "How long has it been incubating?"

"He said a year-! It can't hatch now, it can't…!"

Seto reached out to grab his hand and keep him from having an anxiety attack. "Calm down, puppy. It'll be okay."

"Ha…" The blond reached out to gently rub the egg's shell, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down. "But how are we gonna take care of it?"

"We'll manage, puppy."

The kirin scowled at them. "Well what are you waiting for?! Get away from me!" At the surprised (and slightly horrified, on Joey's part) expressions on their faces, he snorted. "I don't want that hatchling to see me and decide _I'm_ its papa! Hatchlings have to be out in the air for at least an hour before they can focus on and see anything outside of a three foot radius!" His eyes glowed red momentarily—a warning. "_Get. Away._"

Joey grabbed the egg and hurriedly crawled at least five feet away, just in case. Just as he sat down and pulled the egg to rest against his stomach, the dragon began to thrash, causing the egg to rock violently. Seto was there within seconds, forcing the egg to stay still. The dragon continued to flail within its confines.

Joey let out an alarmed shriek as the brunet grabbed a rock and brought it down on the shell of the egg, pulling the egg away protectively. "What the hell are ya doin', ya sicko?!"

"The parents help the dragon out of the egg by making a crack in it," Seto sighed, knowing that if he didn't explain, he'd never be able to continue. "As I don't exactly have a tail, and this shell is at least three inches thick—"

"Well why didn't ya say so in the first place?! I thought ya were tryin' t' kill it!" the blond hissed, then, bringing his arm back, brought his fist down on the side of the egg with a loud crack.

Seeing the hairline crack forming from the force of the smaller boy's punch, Seto thought back to all of the fights Joey had ever threatened to get into with him. Suddenly the prospect of the blond kicking his ass from 'here to New-fucking-York' didn't seem so unlikely. He was suddenly glad he'd never gotten into a physical altercation with him.

With the addition of the crack, the egg was a lot less resistant to the dragon's thrashes. Seconds later, the shell cracked outward from that point, then fell back into place. The baby dragon let out a miserable, wet squeal. Joey reached back to give the shell another punch, but the brunet caught his wrist.

"No. It needs to get out by itself."

The blond looked up at him and frowned, then looked back down at the egg. "…But Seto…"

"No buts. Just let it try." Seto shot him a stern look, then turned his attention back to the egg.

The dragon squealed again, then continued thrashing. Finally, it struck the crack again, causing a chunk of shell to go flying. Seeing light, and knowing it would be taken care of there, the dragon poked its tiny, adorable head out of the red shell.

Joey cooed and clasped his hands together. "Aw, how cute!" He smiled as the baby dragon hiccupped out a small flame. "Oh! I could just eat ya up!"

The hatchling smiled, sticking its tongue out in an open-mouthed smile like Joy would, and let out a loving keen. It reached up and rested its claws on the edge of the small hole its head was sticking out of in an attempt to reach out to the blond, but the shell—now weakened without its missing piece—shattered, and the little dragon rolled forward with a squeal.

Seto raised an eyebrow at the goo-covered hatchlings, then sighed and reached up to grab the ripped hem of his shoulder. He ripped of his sleeve and glanced at the awed blond. "Hold it for me. I've got to get all of the goo off of it."

Joey reached forward and picked the dragon up around the waist, giggling as the hatchling squealed and joyfully reached out for him for cuddles. "Look at him, he's so cute!"

"Yeah, a bundle of 'aw's and girly squeals," the brunet muttered, ripping his sleeve open, then began rubbing the little dragon down. "Pardon me if I don't go into ecstatic fits."

"Don't listen t' him, baby. He's a grump," the younger boy stated, smiling.

The red-eyed dragon whined, its stubby little arms reaching out for him desperately, then let out a frustrated squeal as the brunet continued to clean him. As soon as the man had finished—which took too long, in _its_ opinion—the dragon was finally pulled against the blond's chest, receiving the loving attention it knew it deserved.

Seto snorted as the blond hugged the hatchling tightly, then ripped off his other sleeve to try and dry it a little more, but was cut off by the kirin calling to be brought to the hatchling. "I'll lick him clean. He knows you two are his parents now. I must say, you've taken on your roles quite well."

Joy, seeing that all was clear, flew from his hiding place and flew over to give the baby dragon a loving lick. Then, he settled on Soumya's mane for another nap. Being happy all the time was exhausting.

Joey tilted his head in confusion as he stood and walked over to set the hatchling down in front of him. "Roles?"

"Yes. Seto, obviously, is the sire—" Seto muttered something about not changing diapers "—and _you_ are the dame," Soumya explained, before dipping his head to begin licking the hatchling clean.

"Uh huh. So this is uncle Soumya, baby, and—Did you just call me a dame?!" the blond exclaimed angrily, looking up at him.

The CEO rolled his eyes. "Well it's obvious you're going to be the one being the pacifier. I'm going to be the disciplinarian. Males—sires—are disciplinarians. _That_ makes you the dame."

"I'll show ya dame!" Joey shouted, before trying to tackle him.

After seeing the blond's show of strength earlier, Seto decided that running was the best option.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Hirutani was the leader of a gang of thugs in the manga that tried to get Jounouchi (Joey) to join his gang by any means necessary. First, he forces Jounouchi to join his gang by threatening to beat up his entire class. When Jounouchi didn't show up for school the next day because of this, Yuugi-tachi goes to find him and finds him with Hirutani's gang. When one of Hirutani's friends punched Yuugi, Jounouchi didn't do anything, causing Anzu (Téa) and Honda (Tristan) to insult him. Later, at a bar, Jounouchi retaliates by punching Yuugi's attacker, which the others take as mutiny and then proceed to beat him. Yami no Yuugi comes to save the day.

In a later chapter of the manga, Hirutani lures Jounouchi and Yuugi into a trap, then tries to get Jounouchi to join his gang again by slowly strangling Yuugi with the chain attached to his Millennium Puzzle. Jounouchi takes a beating from yoyos to save him and—using Yuugi's puzzle—catches all of the yoyos, then hooks the strings over the hook that had been strangling Yuugi. The thugs were then suspended in the air from the yoyo cords. While Yami-no Yuugi distracts the rest of the thugs, Jounouchi punches Hirutani in the face, but then Hirutani throws glass in his eyes, rendering him momentarily blind. He hears Hirutani step on glass and turns to punch him in the face just as Hirutani is about to stab him in the neck with a shard of glass, causing him to fall off the roof. Hirutani catches the ledge, and in an act of cruel irony, Jounouchi uses his yoyo to hit his fingers, causing him to let go and fall to the ground.

On a side note, Joey is actually very strong, because in the manga Jounouchi boasts about getting into a fight with four guys and then complaining about the fight only lasting one round.

[2] Popobawa is an incubus believed to haunt the Tanzanian island of Pemba. Popobawa is a Swahili name that literally translates to "bat-wing" (_popo—bat_ and _bawa—wing_). Popobawa is usually described as a ghost or ogre with gigantic bat wings and a large penis. His presence is usually announced by the sound of claws on the roof and a rather pungent smell. Unlike other incubus legends, he targets men sleeping in their own beds, which led to many men sleeping on porches or out in the streets after reported attacks. It was reported that he attacked men in their sleep, overpowered them, holds their faces toward the floor, and rapes them for up to an hour or so. The only way to keep from attacking the same person again—for even longer this time—is to tell friends and neighbors of the attacks. He's a scary monster indeed.


	15. Chapter 14

Edit (03-29-09): FAIL! I totally didn't fix the symbols in that website so you guys couldn't see it! *slams head against the wall* I am a horrible human being for keeping this adorable image from you because of my forgetfulness! Please go see it; you'll be able to imagine him better!

Edit (04-14-09): Uh oh! The site I got my picture from changed its stuff, so I had to fix the URL for you to be able to see it! If you tried and it didn't work, I must beg you to try again!

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Joey tilted his head in confusion as he stood and walked over to set the hatchling down in front of him. "Roles?"_

"_Yes. Seto, obviously, is the sire—" Seto muttered something about not changing diapers "—and you are the dame," Soumya explained, before dipping his head to begin licking the hatchling clean._

"_Uh huh. So this is uncle Soumya, baby, and—Did you just call me a dame?!" the blond exclaimed angrily, looking up at him._

_The CEO rolled his eyes. "Well it's obvious you're going to be the one being the pacifier. I'm going to be the disciplinarian. Males—sires—are disciplinarians. That makes you the dame."_

"_I'll show ya dame!" Joey shouted, before trying to tackle him._

_After seeing the blond's show of strength earlier, Seto decided that running was the best option._

Chapter 14

Everyone was surprised but not particularly alarmed when Amarok and Kankana burst into the den. They were, however, surprised when they immediately attacked Seto, each grabbing an article of clothing and dragging him back out.

"Ow-! What the hell?!" Seto used a short warning blast of lightning to get them off and shrank back, and was surprised when Joey jumped out in front of him. "Puppy?"

"What the hell are ya doin'?!" Joey exclaimed angrily. "I need him _alive_ thank ya very much!" He grew alarmed when the two merely growled, but didn't show it. "I'm not lettin' ya take him _anywhere_ until I know where you're takin' him and why!"

Amarok crouched, ready to leap over him, but stopped when he heard his friend's—cousin's—voice. "'ey, man! No need to be rude!" Tlipo scuttled in quickly and ran to look up at both the Golden One and the Dragon Master. "We need da guy weeth the steek up hees butt! One of the dragons died and they're looking to even the score by taking the hatchling back!"

Joey shrank back as well, but more out of horror than confusion. "They're… gonna take my baby…?"

"_No,_ they're _not,_" Seto answered sharply, then turned toward the two larger canines and—grabbing his coat and putting it on for extra intimidation—swept toward them. "Tlipo, please stay with Joey and the baby. I'll go talk to the girls and see if—"

"You think dere's only a feew, man?!" the chupacabra called after him, horrified. "Dere's almost da whole dam _population_ out dere, even da Emperors! Mother, Cerberus, and da hellhounds are da only things keeping dem outta Den!"

The brunet nodded, mind already whirling with several solutions as he reached out to grab Amarok's fur. "Alright, take me to them. I'll get them to leave."

"I don't think they're gonna be very haaappyyy weeth yooou," Tlipo called after him worriedly, then went to follow.

Seto turned and shot him a stern look. "No, you stay with Joey. If any of the dragons get past us, I want you to protect him, Soumya, Joy, and the hatchling."

The tiny let out a squeaky shriek. "'Ey, man! I'm tiny! You think I choose to drink goat blood!? They're tiny too! 'Ey! _'Ey!_ Are you leestening to me, man?!"

The brunet didn't even stop; he just called over his shoulder, "I trust you to take care of them."

Joey couldn't help a small smile as the chupacabra's chest swelled with pride. "Thanks, Tlipo."

Tlipo smiled smugly. "'Ey, man, dat guy thinks I'm as good dragons!" His smile faded. "Speaking of wheech…" He trotted over to the hatchling curled up between the kirin's front legs. "What's dees guy's name, anyway?"

"Uh… Seto and I hadn't gotten around t' namin' him yet. I wanted t' wait until we could agree on somethin'… nice." The blond felt himself getting nervous despite the fact that he knew Seto could take care of himself. "…I thought…"

"…He'll be fine," the canine stated. "Don't you worry about heem, Joey."

The teen clenched his hands into fists and brought them up to his chest. "I dunno. I just… I have such a bad feelin' right now."

"…Then you should go to him," Soumya stated, curling his legs around the hatchling protectively. "Joy and I will watch the hatchling. You go to Seto."

Tlipo sighed and bowed his head. "Oi, you're just going to make heem maaad…" When the blond merely sent him a pleading look, he sighed again and turned to trudge out of the den. "Alright, let's go. At least I'll be able to see Mother before the Dragon Master keels us."

-x-x-x-

Seto felt himself losing his temper despite his tries to be diplomatic. However, he found it hard to be calm and calculating when there was blood dripping from Nenne's side and Amarok was locked in battle with what looked like a miniature _hydra [1]_, with big, bright red dogs with fiery black coal eyes barking and guarding the large entrance into Den. He tried to keep the mantra _'I have to protect my puppy and my baby' _in his head, to keep him grounded, but he found that growing harder with each new attack Pater sent at the giant white wolf standing resolutely at the fore of the group.

He let out a frustrated snarl and looked around for his Blue Eyes frantically. Where were they?

Pater reared up and prepared to give Nenne one final attack, but then the Chthonian Emperor Dragon was there, ramming into his side and giving Genghis Khan enough time to whip around, grab Nenne, and rush her back into Den. Talking obviously wasn't going to do any good. He could only watch in horror as the Emperor—better known now as an Empr_ess_—was flung to the ground and Pater was charging forward, headed straight for him with a wild roar. He prepared himself for the pain of being hit by the equivalent of two freight trains and closed his eyes tightly.

Seto let out a grunt as he was suddenly shoved backward and stumbled to the ground, then looked up in confusion. "What—Joey, no!"

Joey closed his eyes tightly so he didn't have to watch the dragon coming closer, but seconds later had him cringing and covering his furry ears as he heard a loud, screechy sound that rendered him senseless.

It seemed he wasn't the only one that had this reaction. The hellhounds all dropped, writhing and letting out frantic, pained howls. Amarok stumbled, then tumbled forward onto the hydra, whose heads were swaying back and forth and banging into each other, knocking it into a deeper stupor. Cerberus, who had until then been keeping the rest of the dragons at bay, let out triple howls and crashed to the ground with enough force to make the tree immediately next to him fall. Kankana was the only canine not affected; she stood tall and proud, as if she was deaf.

The dragons weren't fairing much better. They dropped like flies, shaking the earth until those standing fell down from the trembling ground. Even Pater and the Empress were cowed, the female dragon shuddering on the ground and writhing like a worm. Pater hit the ground with a rumble that nearly caused the entrance of Den to collapse; as it was, his neck extended in one last desperate attempt to get inside, knocking Joey to the side as if he were merely a tiny pup. The blond hit the ground hard, the air rushing from his body in a whoosh, and his head cracked against the ground with sickening clarity as a snap was heard from his arm.

Then the screeching stopped.

Seto stood and darted over to the blond, pulling him up against his chest and trying to smooth his messy hair. He gasped in horror as he saw blood beginning to mat his hair down. "Oh God, puppy! You're bleeding! Oh, you stupid, _stupid_ mutt!"

He checked to make sure that his skull hadn't cracked open and was at least slightly relieved to see that the bone hadn't broken or cracked. No, he'd just cut his scalp; maybe a slight concussion, but he was okay. He checked out the smaller boy's arm and bit his bottom lip. That was a bit worse, but a broken bone could be healed. He turned his head sharply as he saw Pater begin to lift his head.

Tlipo darted forward and let loose that unearthly screech, making the dragon drop his head again. He closed his mouth, watching all of the dragons and canines carefully. The dragons were recovering with a great deal less speed than the canines. The hellhounds were already regrouping, and Cerberus was limping back to them. Amarok gave the hydra a kick before trotting back over to guard his home.

Seeing that the others would be okay, he scuttled over to the two humans. "Oi! I tell heem he's going to make you mad, but does he leesten to me? _Nooo!_"

"Tlipo, he's bleeding. We need to get him to Nenne," Seto explained, frowning, as he brushed the blond's bangs out of his face. "He may have a concussion, too. I know he's got a broken arm. Where did the Emperor take Nenne?"

"I don't know, man! I came out here to save your sorry butts!" the chupacabra exclaimed, scowling at him.

Kankana limped up to them and turned to offer her back. "I'll take you. I gotta say, this baby better be cute," she stated darkly, then—once they were safely on her back—set off at a trot.

"Cute as a button," Seto muttered, rolling his eyes.

She glanced back at him in confusion. "What the hell does a button have to do with cuteness?"

"…I don't really understand it myself, but I assume it must mean something, or else people wouldn't say it so often."

-x-x-x-

The hatchling let out a distressed squeal and crawled over Soumya's legs, waddling adorably toward the tunnel. The kirin let out a squawk and scrambled with his front legs to drag himself after the tiny dragon. "Hey! Come back here! _Joy!_ Fetch!"

The little dragon squeaked and flew after the hatchling, trying to usher it back toward Soumya. He let out a tiny shriek as the hatchling batted him away with his tail, slapping him to thud against the dragon-deer's chest.

The kirin gasped. "How cruel! Joy's so tiny!" He let out a warning roar as the hatchling waddled its way into the tunnel. "Come back here! _Come back here!_" He scowled. "I am your elder and as such—Oh for the love all things holy." When the hatchling showed no signs of stopping, he lifted Joy to rest on his mane, then readied himself for an intense arm workout; he began dragging himself after him, spitting out curses as he went.

The baby dragon continued waddling its way through the long, winding tunnel. He could sense his parents not too far away. He needed to get to them; he was hungry, and he knew his mama would be able to feed him. He was also frightened of the loud, scary noises echoing through the dark, deserted tunnels, so his papa would protect him. No offense to Uncle Soumya, but he wanted his parents.

He let out an excited squeal as he heard his papa's voice—even though it was loud and angry—and began wiggling his little body faster. He hesitated when he smelled blood but continued after a few minutes, figuring that—like all children—his parents were invincible and would protect him. He hurried his waddle as the scary noises grew louder, letting out a squeal of terror as something brushed by his feet.

He charged into the den with a pitiful squeak and hurried over to his parents, one of which was bent over the other. He was sure he'd be horrified if he was a little older, but for now, he didn't care. He scurried over to his mama and papa and squealed for attention.

Seto looked at him sharply, then sighed loudly. "Oh, God, could this get any worse!?" He could have just slapped himself for saying that.

Genghis Khan, seeing the hatchling, grabbed it and immediately flew out, ignoring the baby dragon's shrieks and squeals of terror and calls for his mama and papa.

The brunet let out a stream of curses that would _definitely_ not be suitable for a baby dragon's ears before turning his attention back to the blond and shaking him slightly. "God, puppy! Wake up! I need to know you're okay before I go!"

Nenne curled around them and lay down, then nuzzled his side, mindless of the blood from her muzzle she was smearing across his coat. "Leave him with me. I will take care of him."

Seto hesitated before nodding and leaning the blond up against one of the wolf's massive paws. "If he's any worse when I get back—"

"What are you going to do, Seto? As you've seen, I've taken a few bad bites from a dragon and have yet to die." She narrowed her eyes. "What do you expect to do for any of your supposed retribution?"

"…Something. And it'll be bad," the brunet hissed, glaring at her, before turning to leave. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"I know," the giant wolf replied, raising a brow, as she watched him go. "I don't understand why humans feel the need to inform each other of the obvious." She looked down at Joey and nuzzled him gently. "Time for you to wake up, little one, before the Dragon Master gets hurt." When this failed to rouse him, she began lapping at his hair softly, brushing his hair out of his face. "Golden One, you can heal yourself. You know you can."

Joey groaned and tossed his head, lifting his uninjured arm to touch the rip in his scalp. He hissed and winced slightly but didn't take his hand away. Nenne watched as a few golden sparks flew from his fingers—they were small, and not entirely strong, but she could see his skin weaving itself back together. All that remained was a deep, fresh scar, which would fade with time—or he'd heal it further later.

"Yes, that's very good," she murmured, knowing that encouragement was imperative to his growth, as it was with every other Golden One.

After all, a Golden One could not have the empathy necessary to become a good care-taker unless they suffered something to make them that way. More often than not the Golden Ones had come from abusive lives and had to be retaught their self-worth; she hated that it had to be that way, but she knew the best care-takers came from the people who were determined to keep other people from suffering the way they had.

"Nn… Mn…" Joey shuddered and squinted his eyes open. "…Head huuurts…"

"Heal your arm. You'll need both of them." Her eyes softened as the blond whimpered and his eyes glazed over with tears. "…You're in too much pain. Kankana will help train you with that." She chuckled softly. "I shouldn't be doing this. But I can heal later."

The blond shuddered again and closed his eyes tightly, whimpering as he felt the broken edges of his bone grinding against each other and accidentally cutting the muscles attached to them. The muscle melded back together, though, and he found himself only dealing with a splitting headache instead of an aching arm and throbbing head.

He lifted his head and looked up at the giant wolf in confusion. "…Mother?"

"Are you well enough to stand?" she asked, tilting her head. "Seto needs your help."

"S'to?" Though still feeling light-headed, he tried to get to his feet. "My baby okay?"

Nenne stood and used her muzzle to keep him steady. "That's where he went. They took your baby." She had to admit that she was surprised by the wave of power that flooded through the boy, but she figured it was his motherly instinct. …She supposed it was because he was the dame. "You need to go help him get your baby back."

"Take my baby back and punch that stupid dragon in the face." Joey stumbled and reached out to grab onto her, grimacing as his stomach churned. "Don' feel good…"

"I'll take you, Jooo…ey." Kankana offered him a small smile. "It'll probably be faster, anyway."

Nenne caught the back of his shirt between her jaws and lifted him onto the inugami's back. "Get on with it, then. I'll still be here when you get back," she stated, trotting after them. "Hurry back, though." She watched them leave affectionately, then frowned as she heard a low groan and turned her head. "…Soumya?"

"I knew there was a reason I didn't want children," the kirin wheezed, finally collapsing when he realized that he had no hope of catching up to the hatchling.

The giant wolf raised a brow. "You'll have to get over that then, if you ever hope to win Kankana over. She wants at least one litter."

Soumya groaned and rolled his eyes. "They're gonna be some pretty freaky lookin' pups, Nenne."

"It never matters to a mother," she replied, smiling. "We all believe our babies are the most beautiful children in the world."

"Which is why no one corrects you," he muttered, sighing.

-x-x-x-

Joey pressed his hand over one of his eyes as Kankana galloped out of Den, squinting the other one in the bright light. "Shit, it's so light."

"Yes, damn that sun," the inugami answered, rolling her eyes. "Hide your face if you need to. I'll get us where we need to go."

The teen nodded and hid his face in her golden-red fur. "…Kankana?"

"Yes?"

"…How come that screech didn't affect ya like it did everyone else?" he asked softly, frowning. He suspected that that was the reason his head ached so badly.

She grinned. "I'm the one that taught Tlipo to do it."

"…Oh." Joey frowned. "Kankana, I—" He jumped and lifted his head as he heard an infuriated roar, not in the least surprised when Kankana drew to a sudden stop with a jerk.

There was Seto, trying to beat away Pater's head as he held the hatchling under his other arm. Pater was using tail to hold off the Chthonian Empress and snarling, clawing at the brunet and snapping his jaws at him. Seto refused to be cowed, though, and fought back as good as he got, throwing fistfuls of black fire and white lightning.

Joey let out a gasp as Pater caught Seto's arm with his claws, rendering it useless, then sprang from his guardian's back as the hatchling let out a frightened squeal. Concerned for both his baby and his friend (was Seto his friend, or was he more now?), he ran over to them and threw his arms around the brunet's neck. "Seto!"

"Jeez-! Joey, don't _do_ that!" the brunet exclaimed angrily, but he had to admit he was glad to see him up and okay.

The smaller boy took the hatchling from under his arm and cuddled him close. "Oh, baby, I was so worried—_Nyeek!_" He ducked back as Pater went after him, eyes wide.

Seto got in front of him, willing to put his other arm on the line for his baby and mate. He let out a startled yip as he was suddenly yanked backward, just out of the dragon's reach and saving his uninjured arm. "Shit-!"

Joey took a step forward and glared at the dragon daring to try and take away his baby—his one link to his companion Duel Monster. "You are _not_ gonna take away my baby!"

"_**He is **__not__** your baby!"**_ Pater snarled, stepping forward so he could snap at him.

"YES. HE. IS!" the blond shouted angrily.

Seto let out a grunt as he was thrown to the ground by a surge of energy. It was enough to make the threatening dragon stumble, too, and the Empress let out an angry shriek as she took his folly to her advantage and attacked him, beating him with her tail as she clawed and snapped at his neck and belly. Pater roared and smacked her hard enough with his tail to obtain enough time to flee.

She turned to follow him, eyes angry and glowing, but not before she turned and gave the blond an approving lick across the face. Joey smiled a little, then turned. "Seto, I—What are ya doin' on the floor?"

"…No reason." Seto winced as he sat up and grabbed his arm tightly. "Nn… Help me up. …Please."

"Oh! Right!" The blond looked down at the hatchling in his arms, then back at the boy sitting on the ground. "Um…"

"…Never mind, I'll help myself up."

Joey frowned. "I'm sorry."

The brunet waved it away carelessly. "No harm done. Nothing a short walk can't fix."

"…You're bleedin' kinda bad, Seto." The blond raised an eyebrow as the dragon in his arms squealed and began nuzzling at his chest. "W-what are ya doin'? Is somethin' wrong?" He looked back up at the CEO in concern. "Is somethin' wrong?"

"He's just hungry." Seto rubbed under the hatchling's chin affectionately. "Isn't that right?"

The blond looked around at Kankana, motioning for her to come. "Okay. What do baby dragons eat then?"

"Milk, like any other baby."

"Oh, okay. …Wait."

Seto couldn't help a laugh at the expression of confusion on the blond's face. "We'll find something. A baby dragon can go for at least a day before they start to really complain. Don't worry. He won't be hungry that long."

Joey scowled. "Well it's not like we're gonna find a _cow_ hangin' around!"

"_Auðumla [2]_ hangs around Den. She says predators don't try to attack too much when she's under both canine and dragon protection," Kankana stated, smiling. Seeing the blank stares she got for her information, she sighed. "Auðumla is a cow." When they still only stared, she sighed again. "She allows us to call her 'Molly.'"

"Oooh," Joey murmured, as Seto nodded in understanding. "And she'll let… um…" He looked down at the egg, then looked up at the brunet. "What are we gonna call him?"

Seto frowned. "Why are you asking me?"

"Your input would be greatly appreciated." The blond smiled sweetly. "You're a genius, right? Ya gotta have a good name in that noggin somewhere."

The older boy found himself blushing a little at the attention he was getting and looked away. "…Kaii."

"Kaii," the blond repeated softly, testing the name as he looked down at the baby dragon, before he looked back up at his human companion. "What does that mean?"

"It's Welsh for 'warrior.'" Seto glanced at him and blushed a little darker when he found the smaller boy's smile lighting his face. "I-it's not something to get so happy over."

Joey looked back down at the dragon and rubbed the tip of his little nose. "That's what we'll call ya, little warrior! We're gonna call ya Kaii!" When the hatchling let out a happy coo, he chuckled and nuzzled his neck gently. "Silly baby."

"Well, we better hurry if we're going to find Molly," Kankana stated, turning to offer her back. "Get on, you slugs."

"I'm not a slug!" the blond exclaimed indignantly, then turned to help Seto up. He was surprised to find that even though his wound was pretty deep, he was moving about as if it didn't hurt at all. "…Seto? Are ya sure you should be movin' around like that?"

Seto raised an eyebrow at him and took the hatchling just long enough for the smaller boy to get on. "Why shouldn't I be moving around?"

"Hey—Do ya mind if I turn t' face Seto?"

"Pfft, what are you doing facing forward? _I'm_ the one choosing where we're going, thank you very much."

Joey scowled but turned to face the brunet anyway, reaching for his arm. "I'm worried about your arm. Doesn't it hurt?"

"Ah… Not much. I'm used to having to ignore pain for periods of time," Seto answered, glancing away from him. He let out a yelp as the blond punched him in the shoulder and looked back at him, scowling. "What the heck was that for?!"

"_Don't_ ignore it, ya jerk!" the blond exclaimed, glaring at him, before thumping his shoulder again. "What kinda example are ya settin' for the baby?!"

The brunet looked away from him again, huffing. "Hopefully a good one!"

"Only if ya want him t' become a sexy robotic vampire with an affinity for blonds!" Joey exclaimed, then blushed and covered his mouth.

Seto blinked, then turned his gaze back on the younger boy, smirking. "What was that? Did I hear 'sexy?'"

"No!" The blond turned his head away sharply and pulled the hatchling onto his lap.

Kankana grinned. "I heard 'sexy.'"

Joey shot her a wounded glare. "Kan_kana!_"

"You think I'm sexy," the brunet stated, leaning forward. His smirk grew as the younger boy looked up at him. "You _want_ to be my dame."

"I never said that!" the blond squealed, hugging Kaii closer. And _no,_ his voice had _not_ gone up an octave, thank you very much! …It had only gone up a half an octave.

The CEO's expression became just a little bit more smug. "You want me. You _want_ me as your sire."

"_No!_" Joey blushed as the brunet began to laugh and hid his face in the confused hatchling's neck. "Stop makin' fun of me!"

Seto chuckled and leaned forward, gently rubbing the hatchling's head as he placed a kiss on the blond's cheek. As he sputtered and blushed even more, the brunet leaned around to see Kankana's face. "Kankana? Do you know why the Blue Eyes weren't here?"

The inugami's playful expression immediately sobered. "They're looking for the body of the dead dragon."

"Why them?" Joey asked, looking back at her as well, before turning his gaze back on the brunet as he jerked his head away. "…Seto? Why them?"

"It's… customary that the dead dragon's mates look for it," the older boy answered. He frowned as he saw the blond's mind working to comprehend.

Minutes later, it registered, and Joey's eyes filled with tears. "I killed him. I took his little brother away and I _killed_ him."

Kaii let out a distressed squeal and nuzzled his mother's chest worriedly. Seto covered his eyes long enough smack the blond, then yanked his hand back before the hatchling could bite him. "Joey, I swear to God, if you keep making me repeat this, I will take you over my knee and spank you!"

Joey put a hand over his reddened cheek and looked up at him in shock. "I… I…"

"It was _not_ your fault. It was _never_ your fault." The brunet cupped his cheeks and scowled. "Whatever it was that made him that sick, it wasn't you." When the younger boy bit his bottom lip and looked down, he made him lift his head again. "It's not your fault. He gave Kaii to you for a reason. He wants you to take care of his little brother because he couldn't anymore. Wouldn't you want someone to look after Serenity if you couldn't anymore?"

The blond looked back down and nodded, placing one of his hands over the CEO's larger one. "Yes. I would."

"See? So you see he had his brother's best interest in mind." The older boy's expression darkened again. "But if you keep blaming yourself, I _am_ going to spank you. Hard."

"Y-you… Ya sick _bastard!_" the blond shrieked, kicking him in the chest. As the CEO yelped and fell backward—and right off of Kankana's back—he added, "You'd like that, wouldn't ya!"

"Ow! What the _hell—_"

"Run, Kankana! Run!" Joey exclaimed, hugging Kaii to him tightly. "Before the pervert gets up!"

-x-x-x-

Kaii drank greedily, as if he would never be able to eat again. And Molly had a saintly amount of patience; instead of kicking and stomping when the hatchling bit her, she merely stepped away, out of his mouth's reach. He was a quick study; she only had to step away three times before he learned that biting was bad.

Joey winced slightly as he heard someone stomping toward him, then curled up against Kankana, cuddling against her for protection. She snorted. "Don't come crawling to _me_ for protection. You're the one that kicked him in the first place."

"B-but—"

"I should take a switch to your ass!" Seto exclaimed, stomping over to them. He glared at the blond momentarily before looking at the inugami. "Thank you for leaving a trail."

When the blond sputtered in disbelief, she frowned at him. "Sires like to know where their dames and hatchlings are at all times. If I hadn't left a trail, he'd probably have punished you already."

"Provided I found you through this stupid valley." Seto turned a glare on the smaller boy, then grabbed his arm and dragged him to his feet. "Come here."

Joey yelped, then tried to pull away, prying at the brunet's strong fingers frantically as he walked over to a stump. "Ah! Seto! Wait! Wait a second-!"

The CEO sat down and yanked the blond down as across his lap. "I told you I'd do it. I don't make idle threats."

"But—Seto, nooo—" The blond yipped as Seto brought the flat of his hand down on his left cheek and began to squirm frantically. "No! Seto, please, I—" He let out another startled yelp as the brunet slapped his other cheek. "Setooo!"

Hearing his mother's distress, Kaii momentarily turned from his meal and watched as his mother received his spanking. He tilted his head inquisitively, blinking his innocent eyes as his mother let out very unmanly bleats with each strike. When his father saw him watching, he stopped and leaned his elbow on the blond's back, keeping him down.

"You know, this is what will happen to _you_ if you disobey me, too. You'll get a spanking like him and it'll be unpleasant," he stated, frowning. He shooed his attention away. "Go back to your meal." Kaii let out a confused squeal but turned back to Molly. Seto smiled. "He's a cute little guy, isn't he?"

Joey let out a pained whine. "Get _off_ me ya pervert! Y-you perverted jerk!" He turned a glare on him and scowled, though some of the effect was lost with the tears in his eyes. "Ya have no right to spank me!"

"_You_ had no right to jump in front of that dragon and take an attack meant for me! Twice!" Seto exclaimed, shooting him a glare. "You could have _died!_ And who would take care of Mythaven, keep everyone safe? They _need_ you! I'm expendable!"

"Fucking _prick-!_" The blond elbowed him in the side and was satisfied when he grunted in pain. "You're not expendable t' _me!_ 'sides, how are we s'posed t' get outta here if one of us is dead!"

"…He's got a point," Kankana stated. "_Those that come in—_ …Well, you need the same amount of people going as coming back. If you die, you're just making it easier for Akuju to not only take over Mythaven, but your world as well."

Seto leaned down so his face was right next to the blond's and gave him an affectionate pat on the bum. "I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself. _Don't_ put yourself in anymore danger on my account anymore. …Please."

Joey scowled. "If ya spank me again, I'm gonna hafta, just t' spite!"

"You do that, puppy." His affectionate pat was followed by a lecherous rub.

"_Kyaaaaaa!_ Pervert, pervert, pervert!" the blond shrieked, face flushing to a dark tomato red as he began to frantically flail about. "Lemme go! Jackass pervert bastard!"

"Careful, you'll fall." Seto chuckled as he let the blond sit up, amused as the younger boy dove to hide behind his inugami. "You know, you just give me good opportunities to ogle your ass."

"Stop lookin', ya pervert!" Joey shouted, still blushing, before he ducked back behind the giant dog. "I never said ya got t' molest me!"

Kankana rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Joey. You may cow dragons, but you will never cow the Dragon Master." She looked over at Molly sheepishly. "…No offense, Molly."

"None taken." She turned a sharp look on the hatchling still suckling. "Now what did we learn about nipping?" The response she got was a bashful squeal. "That's what I thought. Good boy."

"Speakin' of dragons…" Joey frowned and flopped over dog's back. "That thing with the Emperor was pretty strange, wasn't it? How he just suddenly flew back."

Seto raised an eyebrow. "…You… don't know?"

The blond looked over at him in surprise. "Don't know what?"

Seeing the honest confusion in the other boy's eyes, the CEO cast his gaze at Kankana. He found her frantically shaking her head, so he jerked his head to meet Joey's eyes again and offered an awkward smile. "Nothing. I'm thinking of something else."

Joey tilted his head, puzzled. "Then what were ya thinkin' 'bout?"

"You know, I'm suddenly feeling light-headed. Maybe this wound was a lot worse than I thought," the brunet stated, looking down at his arm.

It worked like a charm.

"Oh! Jeez! We should get ya back t' Mother, then!" the younger boy exclaimed, rushing over to help him stand. "Can ya walk by yourself? Do ya need help?"

Seto threw his arm around his shoulders, pretending to be unsteady on his feet. "That would be greatly appreciated."

"Okay! We'll go find Mother as fast as we can." He helped the brunet onto Kankana's back and made sure he was steady, then rushed to grab Kaii. He appeared unwilling to leave his meal.

"Why can't we tell him?" Seto hissed, leaning down so Kankana could whisper as well.

She glanced over to make sure the blond was still occupied. "His powers are awakening too fast. He's not supposed to be getting them this fast. We need to tell Mother!"

"Seto? Are ya okay?" Joey asked in concern, one arm wrapped around Kaii and he reached out to rest his hand on the brunet's shoulder. "Do ya need t' sit in front?"

"I'll be fine. I'll just hold onto you." The brunet smiled sweetly. "Really."

"Okay." The younger boy set the hatchling on Seto's lap, then slid on in front of him. He shot a glare over his shoulder suddenly. "But if ya cop a feel, I'll deck ya!"

"…I won't," the older boy sighed, rolling his eyes. "Jeez, just bite my head off even when I've done nothing to deserve it."

"Ya _spanked_ me and then ya _fondled_ me!" Joey exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "If that don't scream 'pervert' I dunno what does!"

Seto raised an eyebrow and used the arm around the blond's waist to pull him closer. "That doesn't scream 'pervert.' That screams 'mine.'"

The blond squeaked and grabbed his arm, trying to pry it away. "_That's even worse!_"

-x-x-x-

Seeing Genghis Khan waiting at the mouth of Den, Seto sprang from the inugami's back and stood in front of them protectively, glaring at the golden dragon. "You."

Joey looked not only frightened, but confused. "Weren't ya just… hurt?"

"_**I am not here to take away your baby."**_ The golden dragon dipped his head down to gaze at the blond staring up at him in confusion. _**"I came to apologize for Pater. He is licking his wounds. Persephone is currently keeping all of the dragons at least half a mile from Den. We apologize sincerely for intruding on your family, Master."**_ So saying—with a final nod at the Dragon Master—he turned and leapt into the air.

Seto glared after him, growling, before he let out a yelp as he was slapped in the back of the head. "Ow!"

"You were just fakin' it!" the blond exclaimed angrily, before huffing as he jumped off of Kankana's back and stomped into Den. "Come on, Kaii; Daddy's a bad influence."

"Puppy-! Joey! Oh, come _on!_" The older teen watched him storm away, then turned to glare at Kankana. "I have his best interest at heart and he slaps me in the head."

"Don't look at me; I'm not the one milkin' the situation for all it's worth, Mr. 'I'll-just-hold-onto-you,'" she replied, limping after the blond. "I didn't molest him, either. Hurry up. He's gonna get lost."

"I just can't win with that mutt!" Seto exclaimed angrily, storming after her as well. "_He's_ the one so afraid to get into a relationship—"

"Sex isn't a relationship; it's a conditional perk." Kankana glanced back at him. "If you care for him, show you will continue to care for him even if he makes a mistake, he will allow you closer and eventually, you will get sex. …But it may take years."

"Years?!"

"I understand you're a teenage male and therefore your hormones are bouncing off the walls, but please don't let those hormones get between you and Joey." She turned a hard gaze on him. "The Golden One has always chosen a mate that will take care of him or her. Life is hard enough taking care of a world; taking care of a mate is not something they can handle. I want him taken care of. You can do that. But you must earn everything he is willing to give you. He has been abused far too much."

Seto paused in thought, then nodded slowly. "…Alright. I'll do it. I will make him want me as a mate."

She smiled. "I look forward to seeing it."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

So yeah. I just thought I'd give you the link for the picture I based Joey's looks off of—tail and ear-wise, anyway. You know the drill: just substitute the words for the symbols!

Yamixyugicinnamonandsugar(dot)org(slash)TheGameShop(slash)JoeyG(slash)600(slash)images(slash)JoeyG576(underscore)jpg(underscore)jpg(dot)jpg

[1] The hydra is a nine-headed, serpent-like creature in Greek mythology with highly poisonous breath. The hydra was killed by Heracles (Hercules) as one of his Twelve Labors (but she has made a miraculous recovery in Mythaven!). When you chop off one of her heads, two grow back in its place. Her weakness is that only one of her heads is immortal. And even though sources call the hydra an 'it,' but here it has been made a she. Because I figure only a girl can be pissy enough to take on Amarok. **:**D

[2] Auðumla is the primeval of Norse mythology. …Not much is said about her, but she does lick Búri out of a block of ice. The fact is, I needed a cow and she was there. Thank her for being available! **:**D


	16. Chapter 15

Mythaven

_Recap:_

"_I just can't win with that mutt!" Seto exclaimed angrily, storming after her as well. "__He's__ the one so afraid to get into a relationship—"_

"_Sex isn't a relationship; it's a conditional perk." Kankana glanced back at him. "If you care for him, show you will continue to care for him even if he makes a mistake, he will allow you closer and eventually, you will get sex. …But it may take years."_

"_Years?!"_

"_I understand you're a teenage male and therefore your hormones are bouncing off the walls, but please don't let those hormones get between you and Joey." She turned a hard gaze on him. "The Golden One has always chosen a mate that will take care of him or her. Life is hard enough taking care of a world; taking care of a mate is not something they can handle. I want him taken care of. You can do that. But you must earn everything he is willing to give you. He has been abused far too much."_

_Seto paused in thought, then nodded slowly. "…Alright. I'll do it. I will make him want me as a mate."_

_She smiled. "I look forward to seeing it."_

Chapter 15

Seto was alarmed to find the pup he'd finally decided to pursue cuddle up against a still-bloody Nenne and being sniffed by an unknown canine that was covered in steel armor and had flaming red eyes and blue sabers on the sides of his helmet and blue bat wings. His alarm, however, was immediately soothed when he realized that it was Giga-Tech Wolf. And then his alarm was back when the wolf began nibbling on Kaii's wings.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Everyone but Nenne jumped; she simply looked amused. "What does it look like he's doing, Dragon Master?"

"_Eating my baby!_"

Joey blinked up at the brunet in agitation. "No. He's just gettin' familiar with him. Kaii nibbled on his wings, so he's nibblin' on Kaii's wings. Calm down."

Seto glared at the wolf momentarily, then sighed in defeat and walked over to the happy little group to scratch behind the new canine's ears—the only part of him besides his muzzle sticking out of the armor. "You look a lot different from the picture on your card."

Gaiga—at least, that's what he'd been told his name was—drew up straight, huffing. "The humans' portrayal of me is absolute rubbish! They think I'm _made_ out of iron!"

"…Well obviously, you're not," was the only thing the brunet could think to say. He had no idea how to deal with this wolf. It was male, but… it was going through PMS.

The wolf stomped his foot. "You're damn right I'm not!"

"Why don't we go get something to eat and let the boys settle down?" Nenne asked, standing quickly and ushering the other wolf away.

Once they were gone, Joey looked up at the brunet and frowned. "If he really comes with his, you two will eat each other."

"…Yeah, whatever." Seto sat down beside him and pulled the hatchling into his lap. "Come 'ere."

Kaii cooed affectionately and rubbed against his head against his neck. The blond smiled and leaned his head on the older boy's shoulder, reaching out to play with his wings. He scowled at the inquisitive glance he received. "Don't think I've forgiven ya yet, ya bastard!"

"…Whatever."

"Now that you two are calm and what not," Soumya stated, frowning at them. "I would like to discuss an important matter with you."

Both teens looked up at that. Seto frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Kaii—your son—is a disobedient little _heathen,_" the kirin stated, making Kankana and Joey gasp in horror and the brunet glare at him.

"How dare you say that, you ass hole!" Seto exclaimed, starting to stand.

The dragon-deer snorted and looked away from him. "Have you wondered where Joy is? Or have you truly forgotten?"

"…Isn't he hiding in Joey's shirt?"

"No, he stayed with Soumya," Kankana informed, then frowned in concern. "Where is he, Soumya?"

Soumya narrowed his eyes at them, looking more like a scary dragon than he ever had before. "Your child slapped him away with his tail like a human does a mosquito. He has been hiding in my mane since he woke up. …I have not been able to coax him out."

As Seto and Kankana's eyes widened in dismay, Joey gasped and crawled over to him to look for the tiny yellow dragon. "Oh no! Joy! Where are ya? It's okay now, Joey's here!"

"_Mee…"_ The tiny dragon peeked out of the kirin's hair, tears in his big green eyes. _"Joy-eee…"_

The blond gasped and grasped him gently when he saw a dark, brown-yellow bruising on one of Joy's sides. "Oh, poor Joy! Look at that!" He nuzzled the tiny dragon's head, then turned a glare on both brunet and hatchling watching him. "Kaii!"

Kaii may not have been alive long, but he was smart enough to know that when a mother used that tone of voice, she wasn't happy. He let out an anxious purr and ducked his head down to hide against his father's chest. Seto, similarly, could tell that the blond was upset and was worried he might explode on the baby. That would be decidedly bad on the new psyche just recently brought into the world.

Joy let out a terrified squeal as he was carried closer to the newborn dragon. Joey, however, was adamant, and stomped over to them. "Kaii! Look at me!" When the hatchling whimpered but did as told, he lifted his hand to show him the trembling, crying dragon. "How could ya hurt your Uncle Joy like this? Look! He's been bruised! He's _tiny!_ He can't handle things a lot of things big dragons can!"

Seto frowned as the hatchling let out a frightened bleat and began to cry as well, then scowled and looked up at the blond. "Joey, you're scaring him. Stop it."

"He's going to _learn_ his _lesson,_ Seto," the younger boy replied, then turned his glare back on Kaii. "You will apologize t' him _right_ this minute, and then you'll make sure that nothin' else happens t' him until he's completely healed! Have I made myself clear?"

Kaii whimpered and nodded, dipping his head anxiously. Then, letting out an apologetic whine, he extended his tiny, frail wings for the dragon to land between. Joey crossed his arms and watched critically as Joy landed, then the hatchling crawled out of his papa's lap and waddled over to lay next to Soumya. At least until Hurricane Mom settled.

Joey watched for a few more seconds, then turned, sighing heavily. He hadn't wanted to be so hard on the hatchling, but Joy had been really hurt. And Seto obviously wasn't going to do it. But… seeing those tears forming in those big red eyes, hearing that pitiful whimper… He felt like the biggest jerk in Mythaven.

"…That… was _awesome!_" Kankana exclaimed, smiling brightly. "I was afraid you were going to just let it slide, but you took care of it!"

"And scared my baby half to death," he answered softly, only to find himself swept up in a hug. "Mm-!"

Seto leaned his face into the blond's hair, taking a deep breath. "Don't do that anymore, puppy. Discipline is my job. It hurts you to discipline him, I can see it. That's why _I_ discipline and_ you_ are the one he runs to for comfort." Feeling the younger boy's body shudder with a shaky sigh, he held him tighter. "If it doesn't feel right, it isn't. Let me do all of the work. Just… comfort him when he's sad, protect him when I can't. That's all you have to do."

Joey leaned back and chuckled weakly. "So much work for the sires."

"Females pass the eggs," Kankana stated darkly, looking at the hatchling. "It's like shoving a jelly bean through one of those little red stirring straws your grandmother showed me that one time."

The two humans had to laugh at that. Trust Kankana to ease them out of the tense atmosphere.

"Hmm… Then we should be glad that Joey never has to go through that, shouldn't we?" Seto asked, pulling away from him, but not without a sweet, not entirely chaste caress along the small of his back, just above his ass. When the blond jumped and squeaked but didn't slap him, he smiled and turned away before he was pushed away. Turning his attention to the huffy inugami and the more or less unconcerned kirin, he raised an eyebrow. "But Kankana will have to deal with that eventually."

Soumya jerked his wide-eyed gaze to the brunet, then scowled, eyes glowing red. "Shut your mouth."

"Haaa?" The inugami frowned, brows furrowing together. "And with whom would I be having pups?"

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Well, Soumya, of course."

"You _son of a_—If I could reach you right now…" the kirin hissed, narrowing his eyes.

Kankana blinked in surprise, tilting her head thoughtfully. After a moment, she shrugged and turned to leave. "I guess it's all up to him, then."

"Hu-wha! What did you just say?!" Soumya exclaimed, eyes flying wide again.

She glanced back at him only for a moment. "Well your spine and hips have to heal before we can do it." And then she was gone.

They could only stare after her for a few moments, stunned, before Joey let out a scream that brought her, Nenne, and Gaiga running back. "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"What?! What is it?! What!?"

"_Eeeewwww!_" The blond covered his eyes and groaned. "The mental images! I _sooo_ did not need the mental images!" He looked at Soumya, then Kankana, and then back at Soumya. Shaking his head frantically, he turned to quickly leave the den. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no…"

"…I'll go get him," Seto volunteered. Now that he thought about it, he didn't need the mental image either.

Nenne frowned. "…What… just happened here?"

Gaiga scowled and looked up at her. "Mother, _sex_ just happened here."

Receiving a very disapproving look from the giant wolf, the kirin shouted, "That is _not_ what happened at _all!_"

-x-x-x-

Tiny dragons, giant dogs, dragon-deers, elves, rapist dream demons, territorial dragons, half-bull-half-humans, Joey had thought he'd seen it all. Well, actually, that was until he saw Yami come running out of the trees nearby, screaming, with a few brightly colored creatures chasing him. And then there was Bakura, running out not even a second later, with a few of the tiny creatures actually latched onto his pants. And they were followed by dozens more of the tiny felines.

Seto, who had caught up only seconds before, watched with a sort of morbid fascination. He was vaguely aware that he should be helping them—he _did_ want to score points with Joey, after all—but watching the small and otherwise adorable creatures chase around what normally appeared as two bad ass guys was just too good to actually stop.

Seeing that the older boy wasn't going to do anything to help his friends, the blond sighed and took a few steps forward, then put his fingers in his mouth and let loose a shrill whistle that had the felines wailing and tripping over themselves before scurrying back into the cover of the trees. The former Pharaoh fell forward onto the ground to pant in relief. Bakura, on the other hand, turned and grabbed the blue creature that had originally been the first one to harass him.

Lifting it by the scruff, he glared at it and brandished his dagger (which he had, amazingly, managed to hold onto during his desperate flee). "Thought you could get away with it, didn't you, you little rodent?! Well I'll show _you_ who looks like an evil bunny, you—"

Joey slapped the back of his hand and frowned, taking the poor little kitten from him. "Like hell ya will! And ya _do_ like an evil bunny, ya jerk!" Turning his attention back to the tiny feline, he smiled soothingly and reached up to poke his nose. "Hey, Kaiba, have ya ever noticed that everything here either looks creepy, scary, sweet, or incredibly cute?"

"And what categories do Kankana and Soumya fall under?" Seto replied, then frowned when he saw the dozens of the blue feline's companions come flying out of the trees. "Um… Puppy…"

"Well, Kankana's obviously scary. I mean, did you see her when she was angry? But she's sweet, too," the blond explained, not noticing the mob of kitten-like creatures behind him. "Soumya's sweet and scary, too, but he _has_ had a few incredibly cute moments. Is something wrong?" Seeing the brunet's gaze locked on something behind him, he turned, then raised his eyebrows in surprise at the rainbow assortment of kitten things watching him. "Oh! …Hello."

"What?! Don't greet them!" Bakura exclaimed, glaring at him, and forced him to drop the blue kitten (it landed on its bum and began to wail like it had the first time). "They are _obviously_ the spawn of Satan that the gods have forced to chase after us for accidentally blowing up the midget's kitchen!"

Joey blinked at him in surprise, then frowned again. "Wait. That was you? And ya let them pin the blame on me?"

"You're a good scapegoat," the albino replied carelessly, before beginning to shake him. "DO YOU NOT SEE THE POINT?! They are a plague sent upon me and the pharaoh for not coming clean to our hikaris immediately!"

The blond raised an eyebrow, then grabbed his shoulders and eased him a few steps backward. "Uh huh. You keep tellin' yourselves that." He looked back at Seto and smiled sweetly. "Seto, would ya go get Mother, please? I wanna know what the hell these things are."

"…Will you be safe with two psychos?" the older teen replied skeptically. "I don't need anything to happen to my dame."

"_I'm not a dame!_" Joey shouted, glaring at him, before immediately forcing himself to calm down. "…And only one of them is psycho. Please go get Mother."

"'ey, ey, what's weeth all da noise?!" Tlipo exclaimed, trotting out of the mouth of Den and scowling at them. "How's a guy s'posed to sleep when dere's all dees noise?!" He blinked in surprise at the myriad of kitten things, then tilted his head. "Why ees the frank crying, man?"

"Frank? That thing's name is _Frank?_" Yami asked in disbelief, finally having enough breath to sit up.

The chupacabra scowled at him. "Don't be stupeed, man! That's not deir name, that's what dey're _called!_"

Seto bent to pick up the blue one by its scruff and lifted it up again. "So, this is a frank? I don't remember ever learning about something called a frank."

"'ey, I don't even know where dey came from, man. I don't theenk anyone in Mythaven does," the small canine replied, frowning. "Dey just showed up one day and we haven't been able to find out where dey came from or how dey got here."

"…Have ya seen Yugi or Ryou!?" Joey suddenly gasped, clapping his hands over his mouth. "I thought they might be with ya!"

At that, both former spirits flinched. They'd been worried about their hikaris, but had assumed that they'd be with someone that could keep them safe, like Joey or Tristan, or even Seto. Seeing that that wasn't the case, however, they realized it had been a very, _very_ stupid thing to assume. Especially since Joey had a tendency to go all "rabid dog" when his friends were involved.

"…We thought they might be with you," Yami stated finally, frowning. "Obviously, we were wrong."

The blond groaned and covered his face; if anything happened to his smaller-than-average buddies, he'd never forgive himself!

"…They're probably fine. Maybe they're even with Tristan and Duke," Seto stated, before forcing the blue kitten into the blond's arms. "Hold this."

"Ha?" Joey looked down at the tiny kitten and frowned, then looked back at its brethren. "…I wonder if they're okay…"

The brunet rolled his eyes and sighed. "Can't you just use your shadow powers or whatever to contact them?"

"Do you really think we wouldn't have already tried?!" Bakura exclaimed angrily. "Our powers don't work here, otherwise we'd have our hikaris in our arms and these stupid _franks_ or whatever you called them would be in the Shadow Realm!"

"_Franks._ Eet's weeth more of an 'ah' sound," Tlipo cut in, scowling at him. "No wonder dey don't like you. You're mean and you stole deir hair."

"MY HAIR HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR FIVE THOUSAND YEARS!" the thief roared, then flung his dagger at the small canine.

Joey gasped and hid his face in the frank as he heard the chupacabra let out a yelp. Then, suddenly, he heard Bakura let out a grunt—and then the whoosh of air leaving his lungs—and a loud, angry sound that one would normally hear from a bullpen. He looked up hesitantly only to find Molly glaring at the former thief with red eyes, pawing with her front hoof at the ground as she snorted and dipped her head to charge again.

And then there was a delighted squeal, and Kaii was waddling as fast as he could out of Den, right toward the cow. Molly snorted again but stood still, giving the human-spirit-whatever that had nearly hurt her friend the stink eye. Kaii began drinking greedily, and Joy—who'd clung to his back and shrieked his dissent of the running—decided he'd like a drink too.

Yami looked at the cow, then at Bakura, then at the chupacabra, then at the franks, then at the two dragons, then to Seto, and finally to Joey. "…What have we done to deserve all of this?"

Joey frowned and tilted his head in confusion. "What's that s'posed t' mean?"

"First, we're flung into a world where our shadow powers don't work. Then, we're attacked by _foliage,_" the pharaoh explained, expression darkening with each word. "_Then_ we're attacked by a bunch of little things called _franks_ and chased around for days on end! And then we find _you_ having a baby dragon with Kaiba!"

The blond shrank back with each word—each growing steadily louder—until Yami was on his feet, glaring at him, and shouting. Seto growled and took a step forward, yanking the blond back into his arms and glaring at them. "Things have changed."

"Whoa, whoa, where was I when Joey laid the egg?!" Bakura exclaimed, having just gained his breath back. "I think I would have noticed that!"

"No-!" Joey pushed the brunet away, blushing lightly, and frowned. "Seto's been takin' care of me! And then Red Eyes gave me his brother's egg 'cause he was dyin'! And since Seto's a Dragon Master—"

The albino scowled and placed his hands on his hips. "Oh, so we're on first name basis, are we?"

Seeing the blond growing flustered and upset, Tlipo glared at him. "'ey, ya ever been beetten by a chupacabra, man?!"

"Tlipo, stop!" the blond exclaimed, growing desperate to dispel the situation.

Seto frowned. He was annoyed that the two spirits were hurting his pup—they had no right to be saying those things—but he was uneasy for some other reason, as if something was watching him—them—Joey. He was concerned, for both the blond _and_ their hatchling. He made his way over to the baby dragon, keeping the corner of his eye on the younger boy, and knelt to try and coax him away from his meal.

Joey suddenly flinched, eyes growing wide as he sensed something bad—something incredibly _evil_—coming their way, then turned sharply to find a canine—about the size of Amarok, maybe a little bigger—with its fur printed in the fashion of an orca's skin running directly at him. He didn't know why it was attacking him, he didn't know why it wasn't kind and helpful like all of the other canines had been, but he knew that it was after him and it wanted his _blood._

He knew he should move, knew he should run away, but all he could do was watch those angry black eyes coming closer, those big, shiny fangs dripping saliva ready to sink into his neck and end his life before it had even really begun.

The wolf opened his mouth wider and leapt, and Joey probably would have been crushed beneath it had he not been yanked aside by quick hands. Then Bakura was jumping on the attacking wolf with his dagger back in hand, stabbing and slashing and trying to bring it down. The franks—seeing their… something—being hurt, let out tiny, high-pitched yowls and stormed forward in a massive wave of color and ferocious little fangs and claws. Seto immediately stood and grabbed the blond to shove him behind him, so he'd be able to protect both Joey and the two dragons.

The others could only watch in horror as the large wolf was soon covered with the tiny franks, tails flying around like bobbles, as Bakura continued hacking away. The wolf roared and began bucking, tearing the franks from his sides, only to let out a whine as they came back with more fury, and refused to be ripped away from its body without drawing as much blood as possible in the process.

Joey gasped as the wolf trampled over one of the franks—the blue one, the one that he'd held in his arms and cooed at, the one that was Bakura's tormentor—and it stopped moving. He covered his eyes to keep from seeing anymore of the adorable creatures being killed and whimpered. The wolf, growing tired, turned and galloped for the fringe of trees, to disappear. Bakura jumped off, and seeing this, the franks jumped off of it as well, leaving it to limp away and bleed by itself.

It had lasted for only thirty seconds, at least. It was outrageous. In the span of less than a minute, at least half of the franks had been injured, and one of them had been killed, all because the wolf had attacked Joey.

Bakura sighed and went over to the fallen frank, squatting down to pet it. "…You know, you weren't so bad. I'm sure Ryou would have—_Meeeep!_" The albino let out a rather unmanly squeal and immediately sprang away as the frank lifted its head. "ZOMBIE!"

"…Franks don't die," Tlipo stated shortly, then stepped forward to grab its scruff in his mouth and turned to trot into Den. The other franks mewed and stormed after him.

Joey let out a relieved sigh. "Oh thank God. I thought it was dead."

Kaii let out an inquisitive squeak and leaned around his parents' legs so he could see what was happening. In his eyes, that had been freakin' awesome. He let out a disappointed sigh when he found that the action was over, then went back to drinking as if nothing had ever happened.

Seto and Yami summed up the whole ordeal in five words. "_What the hell was that?!_"

The blond sighed again, then turned to Molly and smiled. "I guess we're gonna go talk to Mother now. Would ya mind comin' into Den and lettin' Kaii eat until he's full?"

"I'd come with that intention," she replied, then began walking toward the mouth of the giant home, trusting the two hungry dragons to follow her inside. Both dragons in question let out frustrated squeals and chased after her, one waddling and the other landing on his back and urging him onward, to food!

"No! Seriously! What the hell was that?" Seto asked, grabbing the blond's arms when he went to follow her.

Yami frowned and stepped up beside him in concern. "He's right, Joey. We don't want you to be hurt."

"Yeah! 'specially 'cause our hikaris like you so much!" Bakura added, trying to seem like he didn't care, but he'd blown that out of the water when he'd attacked and defended against the evil… wolf thing.

"…Thanks for the concern, but I think I'll be okay as soon as we get inside," the younger boy replied, then smiled sweetly. "Tlipo wouldn't just leave me out here if there was still danger."

At that, the three men couldn't help blushing lightly, though Yami and Bakura couldn't tell why. The blond had just… made them feel gooey inside. Like a melted Milky Way bar. He didn't even seem to notice their reactions to his sincerity, however, as he turned to go inside again.

Joey hesitated for a moment, expression conflicted, before he turned and stepped up to the brunet again. After a few seconds of contemplation, he smiled again and went up on his toes to kiss Seto on the cheek. "Thank you, Seto. I won't say ya didn't hafta, because I know you'll just get defensive. Just know, that… I woulda been okay. But thanks." And then he turned, and he walked back into Den.

Seto sighed and tilted his head, frowning as he watched the blond walk away. How many times would he have to deal with this, watching him walk away after being so sweet and affectionate? How long would he have to court him, tentative about their relationship, wanting more, but afraid to push him for anything? How long would he have to keep his touch to himself, wanting to soothe the blond's fear away, but unable to because the other would shy away for fear of getting hurt?

…How long would he have to prove himself?

"…Dude, that was cold," Bakura stated, frowning.

Yami nodded his agreement. "It would have been better just to thank you and go."

Seto scowled and sent them a glare. "I'll take what I can get until I can convince him I'm worthy of more."

"…Dude, that was so sappy." The former thief snorted. "Something _really_ bad must've happened to make him trust you like that."

"Only three attempted rapes, a tiny dragon in a wind storm, really mean Emperor dragons, a dying Red Eyes, three Blue Eyes like teenage girls, and giant dog," the brunet replied, before finally moving to trail after the others.

Bakura rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Oh, man, we're gonna need some popcorn for this!"

"That's all I'm telling you, you jack ass."

"Aww!"

Yami raised an eyebrow, then smiled and shook his head. That was the cousin he remembered; affectionate and kind to the person he cared about, giving vague stories, but he'd be damned if he told anyone the details of any of his relationships.

But Seto obviously wasn't going to say anymore on _any_ subject. So the two former spirits followed him inside.


	17. Chapter 16

Author's Note: For some reason, I'm not pleased with this chapter. D**:** I can't tell what it is, but I just don't like it. If you have any ideas/thoughts about what it could be that's irking me or something I could change to make it better, feel free to message me or leave it in a review! ^^ I appreciate input!

Mythaven

_Recap:_

"…_Dude, that was so sappy." The former thief snorted. "Something really bad must've happened to make him trust you like that."_

"_Only three attempted rapes, a tiny dragon in a wind storm, really mean Emperor dragons, a dying Red Eyes, three Blue Eyes like teenage girls, and giant dog," the brunet replied, before finally moving to trail after the others._

_Bakura rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Oh, man, we're gonna need some popcorn for this!"_

"_That's all I'm telling you, you jack ass."_

"_Aww!"_

_Yami raised an eyebrow, then smiled and shook his head. That was the cousin he remembered; affectionate and kind to the person he cared about, giving vague stories, but he'd be damned if he told anyone the details of any of his relationships._

_But Seto obviously wasn't going to say anymore on any subject. So the two former spirits followed him inside._

Chapter 16

They found Nenne in the den they'd left her in, lapping at a tiny green _frank [1]_ soothingly as it mewed and purred. Joey looked at Soumya in concern, but the kirin waved his concern away, instead going to work cleaning his own little pink frank. Tlipo himself was licking the blue one he'd carried in, and Kankana, Gaiga, and Amarok had settled with franks of primary colors. The other franks were in various spots, though most had chosen to perch on top of the giant white wolf, like birds would on a rhino.

Joey went over to sit next to Nenne and smiled. "Mother, this is Yami and Bakura."

She lifted her golden eyes in surprise, then nodded and turned her attention back on the frank. "Pleasure, I'm sure."

"…I've seen you," Bakura stated suddenly, frowning, as he rubbed his chin in thought. "But where was that…?"

"I was once a goddess of war and fertility." She paused, then shrugged. "I was also called the goddess of thieves at one point, also, because wolves were thought to be sneaky creatures."

"You _are,_" Soumya mumbled, but went unheard. Mostly.

Seto looked down at a frank in disinterest as it began to claw at his pants, then sighed and picked it up when the blond shot him a dirty look. "Have they told you what happened yet?"

Her sharp golden eyes were up at that, and they had taken on a decidedly hardened glint. "The creature that attacked you is absolute evil. He is only half canine, and has never showed any interest in pledging allegiance to the Golden One."

"What's his other half?" Joey asked softly, confused.

"Orca. His name is Akhlut, and he's vicious and heartless," she spat, growling. "He's from Inuit mythology. I was not sad to hear that someone had begun to cut him to pieces."

Bakura snorted, then walked over and lightly tapped the blue frank—the supposed leader—with his foot. "Hey, you. Don't ever scare me like that again." He groaned in disgust as the frank smiled at him and began to purr. "Don't gimme that look, you little heathen!"

"Franks are normally very peaceful creatures," Amarok stated suddenly, making both Bakura and Yami jump. "Leadership changes a lot, but I haven't seen it since the little blue one took over leadership. He must be a very good leader for none of them to challenge it."

"…That doesn't explain why they suddenly attacked us," Yami pointed out, and Amarok looked up at him with a raised brow.

He examined the franks, then Bakura, then nodded slightly. "…I can see why. That thief stole their hair."

"MY HAIR HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR FIVE THOUSAND YEEEEEARS!" the albino roared, making the franks startle and begin jumping around in a panic.

Seto scowled and turned a glare on him. "Look what you did, you moron!"

"Everybody _SIT DOWN._"

Even Nenne was startled by the power and control in the blond's voice, as everybody—mythological, former spirits, and humans alike—sat down abruptly wherever they had happened to be. Joey's powers were growing much faster than normal, much more uncontrolled. It was as if all of his power was trying to get out at once and came at the most inconvenient of times, and he didn't even know it.

Joey settled a frank more comfortably on his lap, glanced at Molly and the two dragons to see if they had been disturbed, then leaned back against the big white wolf. "Are there any other wolves willing to carry Bakura and Yami? We need t' find Ryou and Yug', before they get hurt."

"That will not be necessary," Amarok stated, startling most of the occupants of the room. "As you have been worried about them since you arrived in Den, I took the liberty of sending some of the Hell Hounds out to search for them. They are in the Centurian Forest. …The North Quarter, I believe. And they're baking."

Joey blinked at him, then relaxed against Nenne with a nervous laugh. "Bakin', huh? They would!"

"The centaurs have been protecting them," the male wolf continued. "Few have been sent after them, because centaurs are so powerful and so skilled in archery." His eyes darkened. "Your other friends are a different story."

Yami and Joey stiffened; they liked Tristan and Duke, they didn't want them hurt.

"They were found by Pegasus," Kankana continued and stood, shaking out her fur. "Pegasus are powerful, but not having fingers and hands is slightly debilitating when it comes to some of Mythaven's creatures. …Your friends have taken to protect the Pegasus."

"…They would," the blond stated, just a bit more bland than he usually would. He'd been so worried, and here they were, kicking ass.

Nenne waved it away. "The _cadejo [2]_ are waiting to escort both the Pharaoh and the Thief to the Centurian Forest to reunite with their other halves, then escort all of them back, if the centaurs choose not to help. They will remain here until Joey returns."

"Wha-!? But-! I wanna see 'em!" Joey exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "I haven't seen 'em forever and I've been so worried—"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You will be training with Kankana in a safe place."

"But I wanna see—" the blond began again, only to jerk back as the giant and caring wolf snarled sharply.

"You will be training, because you desperately need it!" she snapped, then huffed and looked away. "It is _not_ debatable. Your friends will be here when you return."

Joey felt hurt that she'd snap at him when it was obvious his friends were important to him. "…But…" His eyes darkened as he thought of his new friends as well. "…Kaii and Soumya…"

She was clearly growing much more annoyed the longer he argued. "Will also be here, unless Soumya makes a miraculous recovery and decides he won't wait for Kankana."

It was also clear that the Golden One wouldn't give up without a fight. "But… but I'm his Mama!"

"And he will be in his father's care. End of discussion. You're going," she snapped, with finality that even the franks—so oblivious and innocent—picked up on it.

Joey scowled and crossed his arms, then turned and stomped away. "…Fine! But I won't enjoy it!"

"I don't expect you to," she answered, for once sounding like a scolding, angry mother toward him.

Seto watched all of this in silence, then followed the younger boy out of the den, giving both Yami and Bakura silent orders to keep the canines busy until they returned. He found the blond leaning against the wall of the tunnel a few yards away, curled up in a ball and scowling, but tears filling his eyes in frustration. He obviously wanted to see his friends.

Sitting down beside him, he silently lifted one arm, allowing the blond to snuggle up against his side and sniffle into his shirt, trying to keep from crying. "…It's okay. We'll be here."

"Ya didn't say _anything_ t' help me at all!" Joey snapped, but didn't lift his head.

Seto looked down at him and frowned. "Should I have?"

"Ya said you'd protect me and ya want me t' go out all alone with Kankana! She's handicapped, Seto, even if she _can_ run around, and that means Akuju can get me and make me his little slave." His voice was harsh with anger, but also filled with tears. "I don't _wanna_ be his slave. But he knows Mythaven and I don't. He has the advantage and he could grab me away from Kankana just as easily as ya can grab a frank."

"…There's a reason they travel een dat beeg group," Tlipo stated, making them both look up at him sharply. "Dey protect each other. And dey don't die. Dey keep fighting unteel dey can't fight anymore. If someone tries to take just one, dee others don't handle it very well. Franks aren't meant to be alone."

"…What's your point?" Joey asked bitterly.

"I hate to break eet to you, but just because Kankana's crippled doesn't mean she can't still keeck butt. She'll lock her jaws, and she won't let go unteel what she's holding onto ees dead. That should at least get time for you to run away and find someone else to help you unteel you make eet back to Den."

The blond frowned. "And what would happen to Kankana?"

Tlipo frowned, then raised a brow in confusion. "Do you know what her name means?"

Both humans shook their heads, and Seto scowled. "What does what her name means matter?"

The chupacabra sighed, suddenly looking weary. "Kankana literally means 'bangle.' And een old days, tying a kankana was a sign of power, a feminine activity to protect. And she _weell_ protect you." He let a moment pass before adding, "And if she must hold onto Akuju to allow you time to get away, she weell die, because Akuju weell realize that she weell not let go unless he keels her."

Joey hid his face in the brunet's side again. "…But I don't want that."

"Kankana won't geeve you a choice, man. That's why she was created, after all. Her only purpose ees to protect the Golden One—eet has been that way for years." Tlipo scowled. "And don't try to argue weeth her, man. She has loved each and every Golden One and she will be damned eef one of them gets hurt on her watch. So she weell protect you. And she weell die."

Seto leaned his face into the blond's hair as he began to tremble from having to keep his tears at bay. "I'll see how far I can go with you, okay?"

"…But…" Joey didn't want to go. He didn't want to risk Kankana's life to keep him safe.

"I'll take you as far as they'll allow me to go with you, and then I'll have the dragons pass by from time to time to keep an eye on you." The brunet rubbed behind the younger boy's ears softly, trying to soothe him. "If something happens they'll come tell me and I'll come to your rescue. I can't let anything happen to my dame, remember?"

"I'm not a dame!" the blond snapped, leaning back to glare at him, only to let out a small, startled squeal as he was pulled into a kiss. "Mmp?!"

Seto held onto him for a few more seconds, sliding his tongue along the younger boy's bottom lip, before he pulled away, a small smile on his face. "I never said you were a dame. I said you were _my_ dame."

Joey blushed and continued to glower. "…'m not a dame." But he didn't try to hit him, so perhaps the thought of being just _his_ dame was a little more reassuring than being _a_ dame.

"Say it all you want, but you're mine," the brunet replied, playing with his hair idly, before he stood up and offered the younger boy his hand. "Let's go talk to Nenne and see if we can't work something out."

"…Okay," the blond sighed, taking the offered hand, and squeaked as he was pulled up swiftly and trapped in the CEO's arms. "Seto-!"

Seto flashed him a smug smirk before dipping his head to pull him into another kiss. The younger boy squirmed for a second, then wrapped his arms around his neck and let out a mewl as he was pushed up against the wall, only hesitantly allowing the brunet to slip his tongue into his mouth.

Bakura scowled and placed his hands on his hips, then glanced up at Yami. "No good can come of this. You know that, don't you?"

"I think they'll be good for each other," the former Pharaoh replied, crossing his arms. "Joey can give Kaiba a sense of humor, and Kaiba can give Joey…" He trailed off for a moment, then smirked. "A stick up his ass."

Joey immediately broke the kiss upon hearing that and turned, throwing them a dirty look. "Shut up!"

Seto groaned as Bakura and Yami began to roar with laughter and pulled away from him. "You guys are _morons._" He paused for a moment, then slid an arm around Joey's shoulders and led him back into the den. "And you will pay for ruining our kiss eventually."

"I'm sure," Yami replied, rolling his eyes, before letting out a yelp as he felt a sharp pain in his ankle. "Ouch!"

"He was trying to deestract him, you eedeeot!" Tlipo exclaimed, then tried to bite him again.

"Oh, look. Tlipo's good for karma," the brunet stated, then smirked and continued into the den.

-x-x-x-

Joey crossed his arms and huffed angrily, even as the entrance of Den disappeared, the valley of the dragons was long gone, and they were surrounded by trees. Kankana frowned. "You aren't still mad, are you?"

"I _want_ t' see my friends!" the blond snapped, even as she gave a hop to try and give him a punishing jar. "But Yami and Bakura get t' _go_ to 'em and bring 'em back! I don't even get t' be there when they come!"

"Training your powers takes priority over your friends, whether you like it or not," she stated, then sighed. "But did you really have to go and argue with Mother?"

"_Yes,_" Joey spat, and his glare became just a little bit angrier. "I wanted t' be there t' see 'em!"

Kankana sighed and rolled her eyes but kept limping toward wherever they were going. "Just be glad that Mother didn't blow her stack when Kaiba asked to escort you."

The blond growled and shook his head. "Sometimes, Mother really _sucks!_"

"I will agree with you just this once." The inugami glanced around, then trotted over to a large tree and walked through it.

Joey squeaked in alarm, but then had the sense to realize that it was an illusion. Looking around, he found them in a dark dome, void of any furniture whatsoever. There was nothing to distract, and nothing he wouldn't able to do harm to. It was the perfect place to train his powers, when he thought about it.

But then he became concerned for Kankana. Now that his anger was cooling, he remembered what Tlipo had said, and he was worried that she might get hurt. Sure, he'd been told that only canines and the past Golden Ones knew of the secret place for them to train, but Akuju seemed to have eyes everywhere.

He slid off of her back and looked around again, looking for anyone that might be lurking. She seemed to have the same idea too, and began sniffing around for any unfamiliar scents. He shivered and rubbed his arms as he felt a tingle go down his back. "Are ya sure we're the only ones that know where this is?"

"What's the closest thing to one hundred that is not yet one hundred?" she asked suddenly, not looking up at him.

"Uh… ninety-nine-point-nine, I guess."

She nodded absently. "Then that's how certain I am of being the only ones who know where this is."

Joey really didn't want to point out that that hadn't actually been comforting at all, but he figured she already knew. "…Thanks, Kankana."

Kankana nodded again, then frowned and began sniffing at the edge of the dome. "I don't like how this part smells. Let me go check outside." She began toward the exit, then shot him a suspicious look. "…Stay in here. It may take me a while, and you have the tendency to draw attention to yourself."

"It's not like I do it on purpose!" he retorted, scowling, but watched her leave nonetheless. It was probably better that she go fix whatever was giving him the shiver alone; he might just break something.

With Kankana gone, however, it left him feeling alone and very vulnerable all of the sudden. He sighed nervously and crossed his arms, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for her to return. He was reassured that she was nearby and actually doing something when he saw sparks at the edge of the dome near the floor where she'd been sniffing. So she was doing something to help keep them safe. That was good.

Joey squeaked in alarm as he felt a pair of arms slide around his waist and looked up quickly, hoping against hope that it was Seto but having the sinking feeling that it absolutely wasn't. When he saw a pair of sly, smug red eyes trained on him, he yelped and immediately tried to struggle away, but then the other man was spinning him around, holding him fast by his wrists.

…The bad guys were _always_ hot. And this one was _shirtless_ and wearing _leather pants._ With buckles and zippers everywhere!

Joey whimpered as the (well-muscled, gorgeous) man looked down at him through his (silky, shiny) black hair. His (stunning, mesmerizing) crimson eyes caught and held him captive, even as his mind told him to struggle, and to make that struggle hard and loud. But he was covered in scars, so he must be tough, because—oh God, that was a bad one, like someone had gored him right in the heart, and—

"Well? What do you think?" His voice was deep and dark and promised things that Joey wasn't certain he wanted promised. "Am I as scary as you thought I would be, Golden One?"

The blond whimpered softly as he stared up at him with wide, trembling brown eyes. The spot on the floor was still sparking, meaning Kankana was still outside, and probably would be for a while. He was alone in here. He was on his own.

Akuju tilted his head and smirked, releasing one of the younger boy's wrists to carefully trace his thumb over his bottom lip. Joey snarled and used his now free hand to punch him in the eye. "Don't touch me!"

The man stumbled back and rubbed at his eye, frowning. "That's no way to greet the man that brought you here, is it? After all, if it hadn't been for me—"

"I woulda come in a few years with my Grandma!" the blond snapped, backing up just enough to keep five feet between them. "And ya wouldn't 've had a chance at me!"

The man shrugged carelessly. "Details. They're troublesome."

Joey squeaked in alarm as his enemy disappeared in a flash of light and looked around frantically, only to find himself thrown to the ground. "Ack!"

Akuju sat on his hips and clicked his tongue in disappointment. "I was hoping for more of a fight from you. You seemed so feisty up until now. This isn't feisty. …This is an attitude problem that can be fixed."

"Fuck you-!" The blond wriggled frantically, trying to get his arms loose from under the raven-haired man's legs. When that didn't work, he let out another snarl and brought his legs up to hook around his neck. He was pleased when the baddy squeaked in surprise before he brought his legs back down, forcing his skull to collide against the ground with a harsh crack. He rolled to his feet before the other man could recover and immediately made the five-foot distance between them again. "Tch! Not feisty my ass!"

"Alright, I was mistaken," Akuju admitted, standing as well and rubbing the back of his head. He pulled his hand back to see blood and smirked, then lifted his gaze to the blond teenager. "But I'm glad I was. The feistier the better; I'm going to _love_ breaking your spirit."

"Break my spirit-!" Joey was losing his temper, and he tried frantically to calm himself down. He knew from first-hand experience that getting angry could impair. "You asshole!"

The man hummed and took a step toward him—which he matched with a step backward. "No, I was thinking more about yours, and how it would feel to have it quivering around my dick."

"Mmn-!" It was as if he was just now realizing whom he was with and what that person intended to do with him. "I… No…"

He planned on making him his slave, raping him, beating him, abusing him. He planned on making him destroy some of the creatures of Mythaven, and to enslave others. He planned on covering Mythaven—a place of hope, and light, where creatures didn't have to worry about humans finding them and killing them for no reason—in darkness, darkness so bad that not even Shadow Powers had control over it, and it even kept Shadow Powers from existing, to keep from contending with it.

This man was the embodiment of evil.

Joey let out a shriek as he was grabbed from behind—but how was that possible? Akuju was in front of him, and— But then a tendril of shadow was wrapped around his face, covering his mouth and keeping anymore sound from passing his lips. He let out a frustrated squeal and tried to struggle, but the strands of shadow were keeping his arms pinned to his sides. A muffled yip was then smothered as his ankles were locked together with another tendril, causing him to fall to the ground.

Akuju chuckled softly and walked up to him, tapping him lightly with his foot. "Hmm, now you're all wrapped up like a present. I wouldn't mind taking you back to the castle and unwrapping you."

The blond shot him a glare and wriggled wildly, trying to scream through the shadowy gag around his mouth. "Mmn fmm-mm kmn nnnnnnm!"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" The man placed a hand to his ear and leaned down expectantly. "Repeat that?"

'…_I hope you die.'_ Joey shot him another glare and rolled away from him quickly, then tried to struggle to sit up.

Akuju pushed him back down and smiled sweetly. "Come on, sweetie. Just resign yourself to your fate of being my slave and give up already."

"Mmn-!" The blond shook his head wildly, tears forming in his eyes as he grew frustrated again.

"Hmm, that's too bad. I was going to make sex pleasurable for you, but now I think I'll show you just how much power I have over you. I'll show you how much it can hurt—" He scowled and gave the blond a sharp spank. "—But also, how it can feel good."

Joey whimpered as the raven-haired man rubbed his crotch suggestively and tried to turn onto his side. What was taking Kankana so long? Had she found another leak? Would he be kidnapped before she even came back in to find him missing? She'd be so upset, and distraught…

But what if she came back in and found Akuju? He didn't want her to die, and Tlipo had all but assured that it would happen if she faced off with him. He wouldn't be able to find his way back to Den. He had been too busy fuming on the way there to take in the surroundings or the paths the inugami had taken, so he'd just wander around until either a friend or a foe found him. Either way, he was in trouble.

He _refused_ to let Kankana die.

Letting out a roar of fury, the blond sent out a wave of power he didn't even realize he had control of, sending the man flying and the tendrils of shadow to dissipate. "_BASTARD!_"

He took that time to escape, running out the warped area in the side of the dome that suited as a door. Seeing his inugami come running around the tree toward him in concern, he grabbed her fur and immediately began running. "No! Just go! We gotta go!"

Kankana obviously had no idea what was going on, but she wasn't going to question him when it was obviously something important. Dipping her head, she scooped it upward, helping the blond onto her back as she quickened her pace to a full-out gallop back towards Den.

Both of them let out startled shrieks as the tree they'd been at/in suddenly exploded, and they heard a roar of fury from Akuju. It was obvious they wouldn't be using the once safe area for training. The force of the blast sent them flying forward to be sent rolling over the ground as the debris from the explosion hit the ground and trees surrounding them.

They waited a few moments—neither wanting to move—before Kankana slowly lifted her head to look back in the direction of a once very safe place. Then, slowly, ever so slowly, she got to her feet and began nosing the Golden One to stand up. "Come on. We need to go tell Mother what happened."

"That Akuju freakin' molested me?" Joey asked, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. Her eyes were much graver than he felt they should be, and he realized that it wasn't as small a thing as he thought it was. "…Kankana?"

She looked up at him again and sighed, suddenly looking old and frail to him. "Someone inside of Den is helping Akuju."

-x-x-x-

Seto could literally feel the betrayal, hate, and fury in Den, and he figured he wasn't the only one when Soumya's head jerked up and Joy let out a nervous squeal. Kaii whined and looked up at him in confusion, wondering if he should be afraid or if everything would be okay. The brunet set him to hide slightly behind the kirin—Soumya bristled, and his mane seemed to expand, hiding the kit from view—then stood up and walked to the entrance of their small den.

He could only let out a 'woomph' sound as all of the air rushed out of his body when he suddenly found himself with his arms full of Golden One and his back against the floor. "…Ow."

"Someone told-!" Joey hid his face in the brunet's chest and sobbed. "Someone told him where to find me-!"

Seto blinked for a moment, trying to comprehend he was holding Joey and that Joey had said something. It took a while—he needed to get oxygen back to his brain—but eventually, he found the strength to sit up and frown down at him. "What are you talking about, puppy?"

"Somebody _told_ that bastard where I was gonna be!" the blond wailed. "And the only ones that know are the dogs!"

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Canines were the only ones that knew where he'd be training. Someone had told Akuju where he'd be. Therefore, by process of deduction, a canine had betrayed the Golden One's confidence and had sold him out to the ultimate evil.

He wished Yami or Bakura was here now. At least he wouldn't have to deal with a hurt and broken puppy alone then.

"Where's Kankana?" Soumya asked worriedly, as she hadn't escorted the boy in. "Is she okay?"

"She—" Joey paused to gather his wits, then nodded. "She's okay. She went t' go talk t'—" He was cut off by a long, furious howl that seemed to shake the foundations of Mythaven. Ducking his head to hide his face in the brunet's chest again, he shivered. "…Went t' go talk t' Mother."

"…The dogs of Den are going to be ripped apart," Soumya whispered, and Kaii squealed and quickly waddled over to his parents for comfort—that howl was really scaring him.

Joey pulled the kit into his arms but didn't shift from hiding his face. "That bastard touched me an' made me feel dirty-!"

Seto growled and pulled the blond closer, protecting both his dame and his kit at least a little. He'd never felt so angry before, unless Mokuba was involved. Akuju would pay, one way or another.

Provided they all lived through Nenne's obvious fury.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Franks are made up by me. I created them. It's based off an inside joke with my cat. **:**D So the franks were born for my amusement, and for the torture of Bakura. …Just because he's fun to torture, of course. If you have any questions about them, message me! **:**)

[2] The cadejo is from myths from Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, and Southern Mexico. There's the good cadejo, which is white, and the evil cadejo, which is black. They are both spirits that appear to travelers at night. The white, obviously, protects them; the black one, however, has three different types.

The first one is the devil himself that appears as a wounded dog with hoofed feet bound by red-hot chains, and not even the white cadejo can stop it. This one doesn't kill, as it is merely a scout—the eyes of the devil. Instead, anyone who sees him will suffer a sad event.

The second one is the regular cadejo, the mysterious evil dog. It kills, usually savagely and messily. First it scares its victim, then—once the victim is thoroughly frightened out of his or her pants—will leap out and kill them, unless the white cadejo is there to stop it.

The final type is a hybrid between a regular cadejo and a normal dog. It can be killed by a man, but it's very difficult. Once it's dead, though, it rots away in a matter of minutes afterward, leaving behind the stain of evil. No moss or plant will ever be able to grow in that spot again. Also, it never bites its victims; it pecks them with its snout or kicks them. The victim then goes mad.

So, white cadejo equals good and black cadejo equals bad. But we need a new name for these hybrids between regular cadejo and normal dogs. …Let's call them cadoghos! ^^


	18. Chapter 17

Mythaven

_Recap: _

"…_The dogs of Den are going to be ripped apart," Soumya whispered, and Kaii squealed and quickly waddled over to his parents for comfort—that howl was really scaring him._

_Joey pulled the kit into his arms but didn't shift from hiding his face. "That bastard touched me an' made me feel dirty-!"_

_Seto growled and pulled the blond closer, protecting both his dame and his kit at least a little. He'd never felt so angry before, unless Mokuba was involved. Akuju would pay, one way or another._

_Provided they all lived through Nenne's obvious fury._

Chapter 17

Nenne had only come in once, and that was to carry in Kankana by the scruff, like a naughty puppy. The inugami herself had looked miserable and had scampered behind Soumya as soon as she was dropped to the ground, whimpering like a kicked puppy. The giant wolf snarled and looked down at Joey, then let out another roar and turned, storming back into the heart of Den.

Joey watched her go, eyes wide. "…She's scary."

"She attacked a _dragon,_ puppy. She's not scary; she's the female version of Satan wrapped up in a big furry body," Seto replied, scowling.

"Hmm…" The blond ducked his head a little and looked down at Kaii, stroking his scaly head carefully. "Maybe. …Seto?"

The CEO leaned his head against the blond's and sighed. "Yes, puppy?"

"…You've done the whole 'new powers ya didn't know ya had' thing. How come you can control yours, and I can't control mine?"

Seto tipped his head thoughtfully, lifting his hand to stroke his hair. "…Perhaps it's because I've always had more control than you. You've always been wilder, less willing to bend to someone else's will unless it was for a good reason." He frowned. "Maybe that's why. How do people get _you_ to do things when you don't want to?"

"…Ya want me t' somehow beat my powers into submission?" The younger boy looked a little confused.

The brunet scowled. "No. I mean before you get violent and belligerent."

Joey frowned and tilted his head, worrying his bottom lip lightly. "…I guess… they ask me nicely and if it doesn't go against my morals I agree t' do it." His brows furrowed as he looked back up at the older teen. "But what does that hafta do with-?"

"You keep trying to _control_ your magic." The brunet smiled a little. "Just like no one can control _you_ to do anything, you can't force your magic. …It hurts when you try," he added softly, turning his gaze to a spot on the wall.

The blond tilted his head in concern, but somehow, he knew Seto wasn't going to explain. Seeing that this last statement had only upset him, he leaned in and placed a soft, tentative kiss on the older boy's cheek.

Both Kaii and Joy grimaced, and the tiny yellow dragon squealed, _"Yuck!"_

Joey ducked back and blushed a little, bringing a hand up to his lips nervously. "I…" It was then he realized that unlike outside the cave, when he'd kissed him in thanks, he'd had absolutely no reason to do so this time. Looking down at the ground and tracing his fingers lightly over his lips, he whispered, "…I'm sorry."

Seto grabbed the back of his head and yanked him forward for a quick kiss, lips parting again with a smack, before he pressed their foreheads together to be able to look deeply into the other boy's eyes. "_Never_ apologize for kissing me, Joey. Ever. You hear me?"

The red on the blond's cheeks deepened in embarrassment. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."

"_Yuck!"_

"I swear to God I will _spank_ _you too!_" the Dragon Master snarled, pointing at the tiny yellow dragon.

Joy squeaked in alarm and dove to hide in Soumya's hair.

Joey couldn't help a small, nervous giggle as Kaii let out a concerned rumble for his Uncle Joy. "How? He's smaller than your hand."

"…Then I'll whip him with a twig," the brunet replied, still giving the quivering mass of the kirin's hair a dirty look.

The smaller boy sighed and patted his arm soothingly. "Calm down, Seto. They're just teasing." When the brunet merely growled in response, he scowled. "Seto!"

"Fine! Fine." Seto scowled but obediently turned from glaring at the tiny dragon. "It's not like I'm pounding you into the ground in front of them, though."

"_Seto!_" Blushing again, Joey punched him in the arm—not as hard as he could, of course, but enough to be a decent warning. "Don't _say_ things like that!"

The CEO raised an eyebrow. "But I can think them?"

When the blond let out an embarrassed squeak, Kaii let out another rumble and bit his father's shirt, shaking his head wildly to try and hurt him, showing him that he would never allow him to defile his mother in such a manner. Joey blinked in surprise, then gasped and grabbed his muzzle. "Kaii! No! Bad baby! No hurting your father!"

"All kits are protective of their mothers," Seto sighed, rolling his eyes, then caught the blond's wrists before any damage could be done to his shirt. "Stop that. You'll rip my shirt."

"Aah… I can get him to let go, Seto, I—"

"I've already lost my sleeves, Joey; I can't afford anymore—"

_RIIIIIIIIIIII—_

Joey paled as Kaii looked up at him proudly, a long scrap of black material hanging from his grinning mouth. He chanced a timid glance at the brunet to find him staring blankly at the hole in his shirt. …Now was not a good time to bother him. Holding the tiny dragon tightly in his arms, he stood and went to go hide behind Soumya and Kankana, like the semi-cowardly puppy he was.

Hey, he knew when to not mess with an angry dragon.

"…" Seto blinked for a moment, gazing at the hole. It was very big, and there was no amount of mending that would be able to restore it to its former glory. Sighing, he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it to the side in defeat. "I'm going for a walk."

"You're just going to walk around without a shirt until you go home?" Soumya asked, raising a brow.

The brunet shot him a semi-amused smirk. "At least Mokuba won't be able to say I need to go outside because I'm as pale as a ghost." And then he turned and began outside.

Joey hesitated, but he really didn't want to be stuck with just Soumya and Kankana, because they'd get concerned, and ask if he was really okay, and he really, _really_ didn't want that. He'd take a pissed off Seto over a concerned Soumya and Kankana any day. So, still holding tightly to his kit, he made a break after him. "Seto, wait up!"

Seto turned and tilted his head, then scowled when he saw Kaii giving him a dirty look. He hadn't realized when the dragon had hatched that he'd be competing for Joey's attention with it. "What?"

"Ah… Just that we'll come with you! Big, happy family, ya know?" The blond smiled sweetly. "You _are_ Kaii's sire, after all."

He couldn't help it; he was still ticked. Perhaps that was why he made the foolish statement of, "Yeah, and you're his dame."

"_I'm not a—_" Joey began, immediately scowling, before he huffed and shifted Kaii's position in his arms to stomp away. "Oh, never mind. You're nothin' but an ass. Forgive me for thinkin' that ya might wanna _do_ somethin' with us."

Seto groaned and rolled his eyes but began trudging after him nonetheless. "Puppy, that's not what I—You know I would never mean it like that! Puppy? Joey! Come back here! We're not finished talking!"

The blond shot him a dirty look. "We never _were_ talkin'! _You_ were insultin'! Ass hat!"

The older boy paused in his chase, frowning in confusion. "…Ass hat…? What the hell kind of insult it that?"

"What, never heard it before? Well I'm sorry if it doesn't sound as _smart_ or as _witty_ or as completely _pompous_ as your insults but I've never pretended t' be as intelligent as _you_."

…He had obviously done something very, _very_ wrong, because Joey sounded truly upset.

"Joey, wait…" he sighed, already trying to figure out a way to salvage the situation.

Joey stopped, but it wasn't because he'd asked him to. "_OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!_"

Seto instinctively ran the last few yards to the entrance of Den, never having heard such horror and agony in the blond's voice, despite everything they'd already been through. Grabbing onto his waist in concern, he frowned. "Puppy? What's wrong?" But then Kaii was being passed to him, screeching in terror, and the younger boy was on his hands and knees, retching.

He looked around in confusion to see what had happened to upset both the blond and his baby, and he had to admit, he had only felt horrified enough to be sick like this if he found out Mokuba was hurt or kidnapped.

It was a puppy. Or, it had been, at some point. Its poor little body—skinned, because all of its fur had been ripped out—was covered in black and purple bruising, and there were some burn marks and a couple of open, bleeding wounds, and blood had begun to pool around its tiny body. Its lips had been pulled upward and stitched to stay that way, exposing bloody gums where each tooth had been ripped out, one by one. Its tail had been split in half down the middle, forming a forked tail, and each paw had large, thick needles shoved through the pad and toes.

It had suffered. It had suffered _long_ and _badly_ before it had died.

Swallowing down the sick feeling, Seto began to coo comfortingly and ran his fingers over Kaii's smooth, soft scales. "Shhh… It's okay, Kaii. Daddy's not going to let that happen to you. Calm down." When the hatchling's screeches had died to trembling whimpers, he knelt beside the blond and stroked his hair soothingly. "Joey? Do you still feel sick?"

Joey looked up at him with tears in his eyes, sobbing. "How could someone do that to a puppy? How could someone—"

And then the puppy _whimpered._

Joey began screaming anew, and Seto couldn't help a startled roar, because that puppy was bruised and broken and bleeding and oh my God it was still _alive!_ Kaii began to screech in horror again, clawing at his father's shoulders to be let down so he could run away and hide, because it was innocent but it still knew enough to realize that this was horrible and no creature should ever have to suffer like that and the puppy was still alive and in pain.

They could all hear the sound of paws rushing toward them, multiple canines running to see what had hurt the Golden One.

Joey pulled a Swiss army knife from his pocket (the brunet wondered where he'd gotten it and why, if he'd had it all the time, hadn't he _used it?!_) and pulled the broken, bleeding body onto his lap, twisting out the scissor piece and slowly beginning to cut through the stitches keeping its lips folded up. Hearing the puppy whimper in pain, he began to whisper soothingly to it, keeping his voice soft and without even a hint of anger or worry; he needed to reassure to pup.

Seto was nearly bowled over by Amarok, who took one look at the puppy and nearly tossed his cookies as well. Seeing the pack of other canines coming up behind him, he quickly took a few steps to stand next to Joey, because he had a better chance of dealing with the worried dogs than the Dragon Master. All he could worry about was Kaii, who had begun to cry and wail in fear as he continued to stare at the pup's broken body.

One of the Hell Hounds slinked out of the tunnel to gaze down at the pup in dismay. "My baby… Who would do this to my baby?"

The blond felt a pang of empathy for the young mother but continued whispering reassurances to the pup, still snipping each stitch to let its lips fall free. He thought back to what Seto had said, and what Nenne had told him. He wanted to help this pup. It was still in pain—so much pain. It needed help, badly. He only hoped he didn't make things worse.

Everyone watched with anxious eyes as a few precious golden sparks begin to snap from the tips of his fingers along the puppy's body. The puppy whimpered pathetically, in too much pain to move and try to flee from the painful magic. Joey took a few deep breaths before closing his eyes tightly and sending a surge of magic into the pup, making it let out a heart-breaking shriek of agony. The pup's mother instinctively closed her jaws over his shoulder and shook him, making him let out a whimper of pain himself, before the large dog yanked away with a yelp as burning-hot hand landed on her muzzle.

The puppy continued shrieking and sprang off of the blond's lap, streaking into the cave in a bundle of nerves and newly-grown fur. It was okay. It was healed. It would take a while for its psyche to go back to normal, but it was physical fine.

Joey hissed and covered his bleeding shoulder with his opposite hand, grimacing at the pain. "Ouch…"

The Hell Hound's ears and tail drooped in shame. "I'm sorry, Golden One. I tried to stop myself, but I heard my baby scream—"

"If he had expected you to stop yourself, he was stupid," Seto cut in, setting Kaii on the blond's lap and using his own hands to apply pressure to his wound. "…It was pretty stupid both ways, actually."

"Even when I'm wounded you're pickin' on me!" the younger boy whined, wrapping his free arm around the black dragon, which was still shaking something fierce from the scare. He stiffened as the other dogs suddenly went silent from murmuring to each other over who would dare do that to a Hell Pup. Turning his head slowly, he found the sea of fur parting, and then there was Nenne, carrying the pup back out by its scruff, and he felt the desire to protect the poor pup, because she was still obviously angry. "Mother, please don't, he was hurt so badly—"

She set the pup down and gave it a stern look, daring it to run away. Its tail curled up beneath its stomach and its head ducked, ears folding back in shame. She didn't look angry anymore, though; she just looked very, very tired. "Picho, I know you were hurt, but I need you to tell me right now. Who was it that hurt you?"

The pup—Picho, apparently—began trembling. "A-a big man. He had black hair and red eyes."

She nodded soothingly. "Yes, okay. Was it a four legged man? Or was it a two legged man?" 'Man' could mean an adult canine or an adult human to a pup.

Picho ducked his head, as if he knew his information wouldn't help. "Both."

Joey felt fury building in his stomach, boiling and angry, because he knew—he _knew_—that this pup had been abused by Akuju, because he was the only one that would be stupid enough, angry, enough, _evil_ enough to hurt a child like he had. "He can shape-shift. The bastard can _shape-shift!_"

Nenne frowned and leaned down. "Oh?"

"H-he showed up as a wolf first, and he said he needed to talk to the Golden One." He began to tremble, knowing he'd anger not only Nenne, but his own biological mother as well. "A-and I told him where he was and how to get there, and then he came back later and asked me to come with him so I did. And then… then he turned into a human and started hurting meeee!" And he ducked his head again and began to cry.

The giant wolf scowled and lifted her head as the other wolves began to growl and rumble their anger as well. "He took advantage of a _child._ He has reached a new level of low. Bastard."

Joey turned his head as he heard a low, infuriated rumble, angrier than even any of the canines, and was startled and more than a little frightened to find Seto looking down at him with glowing blue eyes. "S-Seto?"

Seto didn't seem to hear him, and the blond shrank back as he let out a loud, infuriated roar. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He would have thought that he had lost his temper, but then the brunet was curling in on himself again, face twisting in pain as the skin on his back began to stretch as something seemed to try and force itself out. The blond let out a shriek as the older boy's skin suddenly ripped, covering the hatchling's eyes so he wouldn't have to see it.

Seto fell to his knees and covered his head, dipping down to press his forehead against the ground to try and counter the pounding migraine suddenly making his eyes cross. He groaned as the new appendages from his back moved—slowly, painfully—and spread. He felt so weak, falling in pain in front of both the dragon and the boy he'd said he'd protect. How could they ever depend on him again?

Joey's eyes widened as he looked up at the big, white-scaled wings smeared with dark red blood. Then there was another rip, another pained scream, another cringe, and suddenly a ribbed white tail was lashing out behind the CEO violently, knocking over a few saplings growing nearer to the opening of Den than the others. It was horrifying, but at the same time, he couldn't look away.

"…Dragons really are a _pain,_" Nenne sighed, then walked over to grab him in her jaws. Seeing that he wasn't wearing a shirt—and therefore had nothing for her to grab onto—she frowned, then tilted her head to perhaps grab his wings. But no, those would still be sensitive, because the scales on the wings were the last ones to harden. Grabbing his tail would just cause him extra pain in his head, as it was obviously aching badly and swinging around really wouldn't be any help. "…_Real_ pains."

Seto panted weakly and lifted his head, still shaking. He glanced first up at Nenne, then at his dame and hatchling. "…Looks like we've both got pieces of our bonded creatures now, pup." And then he fainted.

-x-x-x-

Joey brushed the older boy's hair out of his eyes gently, frowning, as Amarok carried in a tortoise shell full of cool water for him to use to dab at the brunet's sweating face. He left as soon as he'd come, muttering about how he needed to go do something. Kaii let out a whimper from his spot on his father's stomach, his big red eyes watching for any sign that his father would be okay. Soumya had taken up a post next to him, to the side, to rest his chin across the brunet's shins. Joy was laying desolately across Kaii's back, dejected that none of his squealing, shrieking, and chirping had roused him. Kankana had taken up a place next to the blond, leaning down alternately to give each human a comforting lick (which totally went against what Joey was trying to do, but he found it relaxed him, in a way, and maybe it would relax the Dragon Master too).

And then suddenly Seto's eyes snapped opened, glowing, and he instinctively reached up to grab the blond's hair. "Ow! Seto-! Tha-aaaah…!" He had been afraid that Seto might be out of it and would hurt him. He needn't have worried.

He groaned as the brunet yanked him into a kiss, eyes fluttering shut no matter how much he _knew_ that now probably wasn't a very good time. But he was happy Seto was okay and well enough to try and suck his soul out but then suddenly his tongue was doing something _very interesting_ and he liked it but he didn't know _what it was_.

Pulling back with a bright blush, Joey covered his mouth and shrilly exclaimed, "What did ya just do?!"

Seto blinked at him for a moment, confused, before his lips curved into a smirk and his tongue flicked out at him, fluttering for a moment, before it disappeared back past his lips. "Tried to sssuck your breath away." He hissed. He _actually_ hissed when he spoke now.

Kaii squealed in delight and nuzzled his father's bare chest, his own tongue fluttering out in a small hiss. A greeting for a father he'd been afraid had died while still mad at him for ruining his shirt. He began to purr when the brunet sat up, gently stroking his scaly black head. Joy, always one for attention as well, squealed his name and rubbed against his cheek affectionately. Seto smiled a little and reached up to pet him as well.

"Hmm." Soumya lifted his head and frowned. "None of the Dragon Masters before you have ever gotten so angry that their bodies were forced to turn to keep from exploding."

"Exploding?!" Joey exclaimed, looking at the kirin in horror.

It was Seto, however, that nodded. "My powers, my attacks. I could have accidentally hurt you, which made me hold them back. The force of my magic could have literally exploded, and my body wouldn't be able to handle it. I told you already, Joey. Magic doesn't _like_ to be controlled."

The blond noticed that the hiss of every 'S' coming out of the older boy's mouth wasn't as pronounced as it had been that one time. It must have been his way to tease him. However, he was just so relieved and happy that the other boy was okay that he couldn't care. He smiled and hugged him tightly from behind. "Jerk! Ya scared me! Don't do that ever again!"

Seto stiffened a little, eyes wide, before he clasped his hand over one of the younger boy's arms and nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry." And then Kaii's purring got louder.

It took a moment for Joey to realize that it wasn't the hatchling purring. It was the brunet he was holding. …And it sounded cute.

"Aw, I didn't know Dragon Masters could _purr!_" Kankana cooed, smiling. "That's _adorable!_"

The brunet scowled at her but didn't reply, because if Kankana thought he was cute, there was quite a possibility that Joey thought so too. He wouldn't mind if Joey thought he was cute.

Soumya rolled his eyes and sighed. "I suppose one of us should go tell Nenne that Seto is awake." He looked back at his rear in seeming surprise. "Oh, no! I can't move my back legs! I guess it won't be me!"

"Ha fucking ha," the inugami replied, scowling at him as she stood. "I'll go, but you have to promise not to be a sarcastic jack ass anymore."

"Cross my heart," he promised, but couldn't help a smug smirk when the giant dog 'humph'ed and stuck her nose up in the air to strut away.

There was a pause before Seto smirked as well. "You lying asshole."

"Can I help it if dogs are so trusting?" Soumya asked, blinking at him innocently.

"Innocence doesn't suit you, Soumya." The brunet glanced back at the younger boy, giving his hands a soft, comforting squeeze. "I want to see if I can move my wings, puppy. Would you mind letting go?"

Joey would be lying if he said he didn't mind, but he also really wanted to see the brunet's new appendages moving, so he sighed and moved out from behind him. He couldn't help an envious sigh as he watched the older boy flex his wings in and out, up and down, tail lashing back and forth experimentally. Seto looked so cool, with dragon wings and tail, and he… had puppy ears and tail.

Seto stood, placing Kaii and Joy down beside the kirin, who blinked up at him in confusion. He mused that the dragons (and dragon-deer) really did look alike sometimes, as he stood up and wrapped his tail around the blond's waist. "I suppose I should tell you right now, puppy—" He smirked as the younger boy yelped when he dragged him closer and wrapped his arms around his waist, gazing down into those glowing, startled amber eyes. "—That just because my wings and tail my look cooler than your ears and tail, you'll always be more attractive." So saying, he wrapped his wings around them for some privacy and kissed him soundly, making the blond moan and melt against him.

Soumya blinked again as he watched one of the blond's feet raise for a moment, then stomp back down anxiously, before it disappeared beneath the wing to hook over the brunet's hip. The moans coming from the two were sort of alarming, but then the blond's other foot was gone, and he had a feeling that both of his legs were now firmly wrapped around the brunet's waist. Sighing, he rested his head on the ground and closed his eyes, waiting for Kankana to return and ruin the humans' make-out session instead of him.

But Kankana didn't come back.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! This didn't get as far as I wanted it to, so it'll have to be in the next chapter. But I bet you didn't see that part with the puppy coming, did you? Thought someone had actually betrayed Joey. But no, it was worse. D**:** Akuju hurt a puppy! BEAST! But anyway, the big thing I eluded to when I was replying to your reviews isn't in here yet. I didn't get around to it. But it will _definitely_ be in the next chapter. **:**3


	19. Chapter 18

Author's Note: Foofie. I still haven't gotten to the part I wanted to. D**:** Oh well. I'm actually quite pleased with this chapter (except for the last part). Ah, well, I'll just let you get back to the story then.

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Seto stood, placing Kaii and Joy down beside the kirin, who blinked up at him in confusion. He mused that the dragons (and dragon-deer) really did look alike sometimes, as he stood up and wrapped his tail around the blond's waist. "I suppose I should tell you right now, puppy—" He smirked as the younger boy yelped when he dragged him closer and wrapped his arms around his waist, gazing down into those glowing, startled amber eyes. "—That just because my wings and tail my look cooler than your ears and tail, you'll always be more attractive." So saying, he wrapped his wings around them for some privacy and kissed him soundly, making the blond moan and melt against him._

_Soumya blinked again as he watched one of the blond's feet raise for a moment, then stomp back down anxiously, before it disappeared beneath the wing to hook over the brunet's hip. The moans coming from the two were sort of alarming, but then the blond's other foot was gone, and he had a feeling that both of his legs were now firmly wrapped around the brunet's waist. Sighing, he rested his head on the ground and closed his eyes, waiting for Kankana to return and ruin the humans' make-out session instead of him._

_But Kankana didn't come back._

Chapter 18

Joey was confused, and more than a little worried. He couldn't find his guardian. One of the others had informed him that she had left with mother, but that didn't explain why she'd left without telling him herself. When a day had passed, he figured it must not be important, and she'd be back in the morning. When that didn't happen, he grew even more worried, but Amarok had said that before he'd come, Kankana spent most of her time outdoors. He figured she must have wanted to run around on her own for a bit.

When she was pushing three days, however, Seto found himself restraining the blond with his tail. "Joey-! She'll come back on her own! Calm down."

"But-! What if Akuju gets them and he tortures her?! She only has three good legs, Seto, and—" Joey whimpered as he was yanked back, lips crushed in a bruising kiss, before the brunet leaned back and scowled at him. "…Seto…"

The older boy growled and placed another lingering kiss on his lips before leaning back to give him a firm glare. "Calm down. You're upsetting Kaii and Joy."

Joey frowned, then turned to look over at the two dragons, both of which were peering up at him anxiously. "…I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. Just calm down, okay?" The brunet frowned and pulled him into a hug. "I don't think she's hurt. She's too tough."

"Yeah… Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry." The younger boy took a few deep breaths, then groaned as the brunet began rubbing his ears. "Seto…"

Seto closed his eyes and pulled him closer, tightening his tail's hold on him. "Don't worry. As soon as the others get here, we'll go home, and we'll talk to your grandmother and see what we can do about Akuju."

The blond nodded again, taking a few deep breaths, before groaning loudly as the older boy latched his mouth onto his neck. "Aha… Horny bastard…! How do ya get so randy so fast?!"

"Mmn… You're just so _tasty…_" The Dragon Master began to purr, gently kneading the blond's sides as he pushed him up against the nearest wall. He grunted as he felt a sharp sting on his tail and turned, scowling down at the hatchling furiously shaking his tail as he gnawed on it. "Kaii!"

"Thank you, baby," Joey cooed, scooping the baby dragon into his arms. He totally missed the hatchling sticking his tongue out at the brunet in a hiss. "Daddy's a big pervert."

Seto growled and shot the hatchling a dirty look but allowed the blond to walk away. "Daddy's not a pervert. Mommy's a prude."

The blond turned and gave him his sternest glare. "Mommy's not prude. Daddy hasn't seen his porn collection."

"Funny, by the way you escape anything more than necking, I'd think you were a frightened, prude virgin," he replied, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner—though he wasn't thinking about anything other than how cute the blond was when he was pretending to be indignant. "Must not have been very good porn."

Joey frowned and turned toward him. "Good enough. I don't have a lot of money for porn." And then he scowled. "And I don't wanna go past neckin' 'cause you're the first person I've ever gotten t' neckin' _with!_"

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "I can't imagine you never necked with Mai."

Joy let out a squeal and head butted him (not that it hurt, but it's the thought that counts). _"Yuck!"_

The blond sighed and caught the tiny dragon's ear to pull him away. "I agree with him. I don't wanna risk kissin' her. …Her boobs might kill me. I wouldn't be able t' breathe in all of that… stuff."

"But you would have liked to?" Seto couldn't help it; he was jealous. If the only thing keeping Joey from making-out with Mai was his fear of being suffocated by her cleavage (which was a completely legitimate fear, in his opinion), then who was to say that Joey wouldn't go for another pretty face? A female one?

Joey shrugged, going to the other side of the den to slide to the ground. "Well, no. I don't really like girls." He glanced up at the brunet briefly before looking back down at Kaii, petting his scaly head gently. "I just pretend I do, because—" He blinked in thought, then hesitantly looked back up. "…Seto? Your… eyes are doin' that glowy thing again. Like when we were… Seto?"

Honestly, he was ready to jump him—dragons be damned—when Soumya trotted into the room. He hadn't realized until yesterday that dragons or those related to them would be able to heal at a faster rate, until the kirin had head-butted him for making a comment about Kankana that was maybe not quite called for.

Soumya shot him a stern look—he obviously knew what he had been planning—before trotting over to nuzzle Kaii. "Kankana and Nenne haven't come back yet. But I'm sure they're alright. On another note—"

"_Joey!_"

Joey grunted as two small bodies suddenly collided with his. Kaii let out a disgruntled, upset squeal and struggled out of the embraces, scuttling over to his father. "…Ow."

He was in pain, but that was okay, because the people hugging him were his friends that he'd been so desperately worried about and had been safe with the centaurs and baking—so he was still a little annoyed that they'd been baking, but they were safe, and okay—

"Wow, it's true!" Yugi exclaimed, leaning back to play with the blond's golden ears. "Yami said you had dog ears, but I thought that maybe Kaiba had rubbed off on him a little and he was just making fun of you!"

Ryou cooed in delight and clasped his hands together. "You're so _cute!_"

Joey blushed a little and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah… thanks, guys."

"Oh! But, is it true? I mean, our yamis told us _everything,_" the albino continued, smiling in response to the blond's shocked gaze.

"Uh… Yeah, I guess. I mean, I couldn't believe it at first, either. All of these dogs at my beck and call?" the larger boy began, but was cut off.

Yugi scowled and waved it away impatiently. "No, not that! That's totally believable after all we've been through! _We're_ talking about you and Kaiba!"

Joey blushed and looked away from them quickly, chancing a quick glance up at the brunet in question, before he looked away. "…I dunno what they told ya, but—"

"Every word of it is true," the brunet cut in. "From the kissing to the protecting."

At this, both lighter halves blushed, and Joey took that opportunity to become a tomato. As if to back up this statement, Seto strode over, knelt in front of him, and pulled him into a sweet kiss. The blond squealed in embarrassment and grabbed his shoulders, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.

Seto probably would have continued, even to the point of wrapping them up in his wings for privacy, but he could feel Kaii gnawing on his tail, so he instead pulled back, taking a moment to stare into his eyes before he stood and walked backed to lean against the opposite wall. Kaii squealed as he refused to let go of the brunet's tail, so he was dragged to the other side of the den as well. It took a few moments, but then Yugi and Ryou were shrieking in delight and throwing their arms around Joey, congratulating him on finally finding a boyfriend.

Yami raised an eyebrow and frowned, watching Kaii as he was dragged over the ground. "Doesn't that hurt?"

"Of course it does," Seto replied, folding his wings back gracefully.

"…And you're allowing him to do it anyway because…?" Bakura asked, frowning in confusion.

The brunet rolled his eyes and lifted his tail, allowing the hatchling to hang from it and growl at him. "There really is no point. He'll let go when his mother asks him to."

The thief rolled his eyes. "Psssh. Joey _would_ be the dame."

"_I'm not a dame!_" And Bakura found himself getting up close and personal with the floor, courtesy of the black eye he would be sporting soon.

Despite the fact he knew he might be ending up like Bakura, Seto couldn't help correcting, "You're _my_ dame."

Joey blushed a little and gave Kaii a tug, making him let go of the brunet's tail. "…Am not." So saying, he turned and walked back to his friends, to show them his 'baby.'

The brunet couldn't help a pleased purr. There hadn't been as much fire or denial in that as it usually did. Maybe that meant that Joey… was becoming more receptive?

"I didn't know Dragon Masters could purr," Ryou stated thoughtfully, tilting his head as they all turned to look at him.

Seto immediately controlled himself, cutting the purr off halfway in embarrassment. Kaii let out a worried whine, and Joy began doing loopty-loops past his head in an attempt to cheer him up—even though he was quite cheery with the prospect of Joey being more receptive. It was then he realized that cutting himself off instead of trailing off had upset them; they thought he'd gotten unhappy with something. Kaii had tried to find out why and Joy had tried to make him happy again. Against his will, he began to purr again, showing them all was well.

Joy wasn't satisfied, however, and perched himself on the brunet's head with a squeaked, _"See-toooh."_

"Aw, he can say your name!" Yugi exclaimed, clasping his hands together. "That's so cute! Can he say your name, Joey?"

The tiny yellow dragon was delighted with the attention, and so he flew over to perch on the younger boy's spiky hair instead. _"Joy-ee!"_

Joey was amused by this. "You're so sweet, Joy. Can you say 'Ryou?'"

Joy closed his eyes and smiled brightly._ "Ree-oh!"_

As the three boys giggled and cooed at the adorable dragon, their respective significant others scowled. Joy was stealing attention that should have been focused on them.

"_Yeeg-ee! Yee-mee! Kur-ree!"_

"I'm sorry, was that last one supposed to be Bakura?" Bakura asked, sending the tiny dragon a dirty look.

"He doesn't do B's very well, sorry." Joey smiled and scratched the little dragon's tummy. "You've healed very nicely." He frowned as Kaii let out a jealous keen and snapped at him. "Kaii!"

"Aw, is Kaii feeling a little jealous?" Yugi pulled the dragon into his lap and began to pet him. Pleased with this, the hatchling began to purr.

Soumya, ignored up to that point (he was okay with that, though; he'd been thinking about Kankana and worrying), walked over and sat beside them. "As soon as your other friends arrive, you'll go home."

"…Yeah…" Joey leaned his head against him, reaching up to play with his long hair. "Ya think Kankana might be back in time t' say goodbye?"

He shrugged. "One can only hope."

"You just want to jump her bones," Seto snapped, and was surprised to have both Yami and Bakura nodding their agreement.

"You've got that look in your eyes like you want to eat something," Bakura pointed out, then scowled. "And you're not hungry for food."

The kirin raised a brow at them. "I never said I didn't want to jump her bones. I've always wanted to. However, unlike _you,_ I control my urges."

"Please stop having this conversation in front of us!" Ryou exclaimed, blushing, and covered his ears.

"All talk of bones and jumping ends now!" Joey added, covering his baby dragon's ears (or where he thought they were). "Kaii doesn't need to learn about this yet!"

"…Yeah. Because he knows we're talking about sex," Yami stated, rolling his eyes.

Seto sighed. "Unfortunately, even _baby_ dragons are quite perceptive. …He gets the general idea."

"_FIENDS!_" The blond pointed at the older boy and former spirits in an accusatory manner. "You've corrupted my baby! _Shame on you!_"

"…Yeah. Because Kaiba _schmeckin' [1]_ ya _totally_ has nothing to do with it," Bakura stated, rolling his eyes.

Joey scowled. "I'll blame whoever I want, Mr. I'll-jump-Ryou-whenever-I-feel-like-it!" He frowned as he heard a bunch of soft thumps coming their way down the tunnel and tilted his head. "What's that noise?"

"They've _found_ me!" the former thief exclaimed, and tried to hide behind Yami.

"Ow—What the hell?!"

And then the den was filled with a myriad of colors, mewling little franks led by the one blue one. Bakura let out a groan of defeat and fell to the ground. "I give up!" And he disappeared beneath a pile of franks.

Ryou blinked for a moment, then smiled. "So these are what you were talking about then?"

"Evil creatures." His voice was muffled beneath the furry bodies.

"They're sort of like you, aren't they?" the albino continued, pulling one of the franks onto his lap. "Except opposite. You look scary and attack if provoked. They look cute and don't." He smiled and patted the frank on the head. "They're adorable!"

Bakura found this statement annoying. "They're abominable."

"And they just showed up one day?" Yugi asked, squealing softly when a frank jumped for Joy—who was still perched on his head. "Eep!"

Soumya groaned and rolled his eyes, then batted a few franks away from him. "Shoo. I'm not wounded anymore; I don't have to deal with you."

Most expected the franks to either ignore him or burst out crying. Instead, they gave him a wide berth, instead choosing to go for either Seto's new and interesting appendages or Bakura's… well, just Bakura in general. This was surprising, but not shocking; Soumya could be mighty mean when he wanted to be.

Tlipo trotted in, then looked around in confusion. "Whoa, where was I when they came een, man?!" The blue leader frank mewed happily and went to rub up against him in greeting. "Oi! I said I deedn't want a relationsheep!" The chupacabra sidled away from it. "You don't eeveen have a gender, man!"

Joey blinked, then looked at the other franks, who had continued their merry assault on Seto's tail and wings. …And Bakura.

Ryou tilted his head and lifted the frank he was holding. "…He's right. It has no gender."

"Ha…?" the blond took a peek, then snort and looked away. "Figures that a genderless cat would wanna mate with ya, Tlipo."

"Eet's not funny, man!" the tiny dog exclaimed, scowling. Sighing in frustration, he turned to leave. "Your other friends are here. Dey won't come eenside, though. Dey say dat you should come to dem."

Joey scowled. "They would." Sighing, he stood, dusted himself off, and turned to the others. "You guys ready t' go home?" He glanced at Seto. "I'm sure that Mokuba's goin' outta his mind with worry."

The dozens of franks let out surprised yowls as they were suddenly thrown off, and the brunet disappeared from then den in a blur of brown and white.

The blond sighed, crossing his arms, and looked over at Soumya with a sad smile. "I guess Kankana won't be back in time t' see us off."

"I'll take Kaii to stay with the Blue-Eyes until you return," the kirin replied. "I'm sure they'll be pleased to take care of Akai's kin."

Yugi frowned as the blond took the hatchling out of his arms. "What is he talking about, Joey?"

Joey sighed again and stroked the little dragon's back, then gave him a quick kiss—he couldn't stand long goodbyes. "I'll be back soon, baby." Kaii whined as he began to walk away and reached his front claws out, making grabbing motions. He winced and turned his back on him, and felt himself _die_ when the hatchling let out a desperate squeal. Turning back to him, he sighed. "…Kaii…"

And then suddenly Seto was back, marching up to them, and tapped the black dragon's nose sternly. "We will be back. Don't guilt trip your mother, or I'll punish you. Did your mommy look like he was having fun when I spanked him?" Kaii let out a whine and shook his head.

"You spanked Joey?" Yugi gasped, grabbing his blond friend's arm. "So mean!"

The brunet rolled his eyes. "When have I ever come off as _nice?_ Come on, puppy."

Joey let out a shriek as the older boy threw him over his shoulder and grabbed onto his wings. "Seto-!"

"If I leave it up to you, we'll never get out of here; you won't leave Kaii."

"Aaaaah, Seto! Jerk-face!"

"…Yeah, I figured that's how it would go," Yugi stated, crossing his arms. "Kaiba being all 'my way or highway' and Joey fighting back with all he's got."

Ryou smiled. "I think it's sweet! Especially when Seto came back for him!" He suddenly scowled and turned his attention to his darker half, placing his hands on his hips. "Why don't you do anything romantic like that for me, Bakura?"

There was a pause before the thief gave a muffled answer, and the others supposed they were glad they couldn't hear. It was probably something vulgar.

-x-x-x-

Mokuba sighed, tapping his fingers on the side of the couch lazily as he gazed at the book. He hadn't wanted to touch it. He didn't want Seto to get mad at him if he accidentally got himself sucked in, too. Of course, that left nothing for him to do but watch the book. For a week, he'd stayed in the small apartment and just watched the book. He was lucky it was summer; the schools just didn't seem to take the excuse of 'sorry, they were sucked into a book' anymore.

He blinked for a moment after he saw the book twitch, but then it flipped open, and spat out a human-like figure. He sat up quickly to help who he now saw was Yugi to his feet and out of the way of the next figure.

-x-x-x-

Joey turned and gave Amarok and the few Hell Hounds that had gathered one last smile—he even gave the giant wolf a hug, and he awkwardly patted him on the back with a clumsy paw—then turned back to the golden light on the ground that he would be stepping into. He squeaked as he felt something sliding around his waist and looked down, then turned and looked up at his partner for the jump.

Seto offered him a reassuring smile and reached for his hand to give it a squeeze, then turned back to the glowing portal. "Let's go then."

"…Yeah…" He really wished he'd been able to say goodbye to Kankana and Nenne before they left. He turned to glance over his shoulder at the others and allowed the brunet to lead him forward into their transport home.

The older boy let out a startled roar as the warm golden color turned into a dark, sparking red and turned, wrapping his wings around both the blond and himself. He let out another roar—a pained one, this time—as he hit the portal, tightening his hold on the Golden One as hot fire ripped through his veins with each spark.

Joey yelped as the brunet tightened his tail's hold to an almost painful level and hid his face in his chest. "S-Seto!"

The Dragon Master let out another roar, writhing violently, before letting out a grunt as he finally hit the ground. Groaning, he felt his muscles loosening as black began to eat at the edges of his vision. He tried to open his mouth, to tell Joey to stay close to him, not to leave him, it wasn't safe, but he couldn't get his mouth to do what he wanted it to. Instead, the only sound that escaped his lips was a muffled whimper.

The blond blinked his eyes open hesitantly, then looked up. "Seto…? Seto!" He checked his head for bumps and bruises, then tried to look around, only to find the brunet's wings still surrounding them. Groaning fearfully, he lifted one of the wings to peek outside.

It didn't look too scary, as far as unknown places went. The area they were in was a little knell, surrounded tightly by a ring of trees in the forest. It was getting dark, though, so he figured they must be far away from Den.

Far away from any canines or dragons that could help.

Growing frightened at the prospect of being lost in Mythaven, but reassured that his friends were no longer in danger, Joey turned and curled up against the brunet, trembling. "Seto… I… I'm scared."

Seto gathered all of his strength into one arm, struggling to lift it, before letting out a grunt of satisfaction as he got it to slide over the blond's waist and pressed his hand against the small of his back. "Puppy…" When the smaller boy whimpered, he snuggled as close as he could, wrapping his wings around them tighter. "Puppy…"

The blond closed his eyes tightly but allowed himself to relax. Seto wouldn't let anything happen to him. Besides, there was no one there to hurt them yet. They'd take the problems when they faced them.

-x-x-x-

Kankana could only watch as her mother fell, blood splattering across her face. She only got a passing glimpse of the retreating figure—serpentine, cold, uncaring—before she turned her attention back to her Nenne. "…Mother?"

Nenne managed an annoyed growl, shifting weakly, but she could already feel the poison burning through her veins. "Knew we were coming. Bastard."

"Mother?" the inugami questioned again, frowning.

The giant wolf growled again, weaker this time. "Go home. Apparently that's all I'm going to be able to teach you. The rest you'll have to learn for yourself."

Kankana whined. "But Mother—"

"_**GO!**_"

The golden dog whimpered and scampered away with her tail between her legs, yelping as she heard a long, low howl. And then there was a death rattle, and she heard no more from her mother. She was now the sole leader of every canine under the Golden One's mastery.

And she didn't want it. She didn't want it at all. She didn't want to be depended on, didn't want to have to take care of dozens of pups, giving advice, but now she didn't have a choice. She'd known she'd be the one to take over after Nenne, but that had seemed so far away. But then she'd suggested they go talk to Akuju.

Apparently, Akuju didn't want to talk. He didn't want to talk _so much_ that he'd sent a creature to kill them both—but Nenne had wounded it in one last attempt to save her pup, and so Kankana lived to take her place.

She had to make sure Joey and everyone got out okay. It wasn't safe. Akuju was much stronger than all of them had thought. And now he could do more damage, with the reptiles on his side—except for the dragons.

But a basilisk had always been decent in battle against dragons, and apparently there was more than one under Akuju's thumb.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] _Schmecken_ is German for "to taste." Here on the west coast, we use it as another word for making-out, because that's basically what you're doing; tasting each other (if you use it on the east coast too, whoop-dee-do. I've never been to the east coast, so I wouldn't know). Except we've Americanized it into just schmeck, and the act of schmeck_ing._ Yeah, we slaughter words on a daily basis here.


	20. Chapter 19

Author's Note: I'm not very happy with this chapter. Not because of the end, but there's something I just don't like about it. I don't know what it is. It could just be me.

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_And she didn't want it. She didn't want it at all. She didn't want to be depended on, didn't want to have to take care of dozens of pups, giving advice, but now she didn't have a choice. She'd known she'd be the one to take over after Nenne, but that had seemed so far away. But then she'd suggested they go talk to Akuju._

_Apparently, Akuju didn't want to talk. He didn't want to talk so much that he'd sent a creature to kill them both—but Nenne had wounded it in one last attempt to save her pup, and so Kankana lived to take her place._

_She had to make sure Joey and everyone got out okay. It wasn't safe. Akuju was much stronger than all of them had thought. And now he could do more damage, with the reptiles on his side—except for the dragons._

_But a basilisk had always been decent in battle against dragons, and apparently there was more than one under Akuju's thumb._

Chapter 19

Seto snapped his eyes open and looked around sharply, then lifted his aching wings to peer around. There was no immediate danger. He supposed they were okay then. He had no idea where they were, however. Later, after a few days rest, he'd maybe fly up and take a look around, to see how far from Den they were, but he wouldn't attempt it now. He hurt too much to be able to take Joey with him, and he'd be damned if he left him behind to get caught.

He looked down at the blond snuggled up against him and sighed, then dipped his head to press a kiss to his forehead. "Puppy…"

"Nn… Seto…?" Squirming slightly, Joey looked up at him. "You awake? Are ya okay? Do ya need anything?" He sat up and frowned in concern. "Ya hurt anywhere? I can rub it for ya; I took a few massage classes before the book… Seto?"

The brunet could think of one place he would _love_ the younger boy to rub so it could stop hurting, but he figured that it was neither the time nor the place. …Even if he probably could trick the blond into it. Groaning, he tried to sit up as well. "'m fine. We need to get out of here, though, puppy."

The blond tilted his head. "Huh? Why? Ya might need a little more rest—"

"Akuju might know where we are. We need to get as far away from here as possible before he comes to get you." The Dragon Master groaned loudly as he struggled to his feet, each and every muscle in his body aching as he strained upward. "Oh my God—"

"Ah-! Seto! You're hurt!" Joey hurried to his feet to help him up. "We should stay—"

"We're _going,_ Joey," Seto hissed, glaring at him. "Whether I have to pick you up and carry you or not."

The blond winced a little, then nodded and looked down at his feet, wrapping his arms around the older boy's waist. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Groaning, the CEO turned his head to lean his face into the blond's hair. "No, _I'm_ sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"…Seto? We're all alone," Joey stated softly, after a few minutes of walking in silence.

Seto nodded. "Yes. We are. But we'll find someone who can help us, Joey."

"…Yeah…"

-x-x-x-

Soumya yelped as he was suddenly tackled to the ground. "Ouch! What the hell?!" Turning, he frowned in confusion when he found a whimpering, crying inugami burying her nose in his side. "Kankana? What's wrong?"

She whimpered and continued trying to wriggle under him. "H-he killed Mother! He sent something and it killed Mother…!"

"Ah… What are you talking about, love? Who did what?" He patted her on the head in confusion. "Slow down. Take a breath. …Stop trying to dig a hole and hide in it, I'm not big enough to use as a cover."

"Akuju sent a basilisk after us and since we're not affected by their eyes, it bit Mother! It was going to go after me, but she bit it—Mother's dead, Soumya! She's gone! I heard her die!"

Soumya stood and began butting his head against her roughly. "Get up. Get up! That explains everything. Kaiba and Joey are in trouble. Come on!"

-x-x-x-

Walking was beginning to hurt. Well, he wasn't so much walking as he was limping, leaning so heavily on the blond that he was struggling to hold him up and move forward at the same time. They'd gone at least three miles, so they were easily able to take a break, but he didn't know where to go to be able to keep an eye on Joey and still rest. He just wanted to curl up somewhere safe with Joey in his arms, wrap his wings around them and cocoon them in their own little world. But he couldn't do that here; there was no guarantee that he could keep him safe.

Joey was getting much too tired to keep helping him though.

"Ah-! Seto!" Joey began to sag under the brunet's weight. Maybe, without the dragon wings and tail, he would have been able to go on longer, but with the added bone, muscle, and cartilage, he was just too weak—both emotionally and physically—to keep going. "S-Seto, I can't-!" He whimpered as he began to sink to the ground. "I'm sorry…!"

Seto curled a wing around him to pull him closer. "No, don't apologize. It's not your fault." Cupping the blond's chin to make him look up at him, he was horrified to find tears forming in his eyes. "Puppy? Why—"

"Ya wanna keep goin' and I'm slowin' ya down," the younger boy whimpered, reaching up to grab his wrist. "Always. I'm always slowin' ya down."

"Don't be silly." The brunet frowned and began to stroke his hair soothingly. "You're the reason I've been able to get this far at all. I… I'm hurt, Joey. I don't want to say it, but I am. I can't move without you helping me."

"We're… we're in trouble, aren't we, Seto?" Joey rubbed at his eyes quickly, trying to wipe his tears away. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't cry—it'll just take more out of me—"

The brunet knelt beside him and pulled him into a hug, kissing at his neck softly. "Shhh. Don't talk like that. You can do whatever you like, Joey, as long as it makes you feel better."

"I… Seto, I…" The smaller boy sobbed, clinging to him, before quickly pulling away. "I can't-!"

Seto let out a soft grunt as the blond pulled away, brows furrowing together as he got up and started walking. "Puppy? Puppy, don't leave me-! I can't protect you if you're not—Puppy! _Joey!_" He watched as the Golden One disappeared between the trees, then sat down heavily. He'd never thought that the puppy—so sweet and loyal—would ever abandon him.

But then, a few minutes later, Joey was back, pulling at his arms weakly. "Come on. I found a place— You'll be able to relax a little. Come on, Seto. It's just a little farther. We can both make it!"

He really, _really_ hurt, and he didn't want to move anymore, but for that cute face, the brunet decided he'd do anything. Struggling to his feet, he couldn't help purring when the blond hugged him around the waist and tried to help pull him up. "Ah… Puppy, that hurts." He nuzzled the younger boy's head as he finally got upright. "Mm… Thank you."

Joey couldn't help a pleased smile, then began leading him to where he'd come from. "Come on, Seto. It's just a little over here."

"Yeah, okay." Seto groaned as the blond stumbled and quickly reached out to cling to a tree so he wouldn't crush him. "Nn-!"

"Sorry, sorry!" The younger boy bit his bottom lip. "We're almost there, Seto…"

"No, it's fine." The brunet closed his eyes tightly for a moment. His body ached so much he thought it would explode. He assumed that if it didn't do so soon, he would go from wishing he could just pass out (which he did not want) to wanting to die (which he _also_ did not want). "How much farther?"

"Not too far. …Like the length of two of your limos!" Joey smiled at him hopefully. "You can make it that far, can't ya, Seto?"

Seto didn't want to say no, but he felt he could only take a few more steps. "Let's just take this one step at a time, okay, puppy?"

The blond looked happy with that. "Okay! Yeah! Just keep puttin' one foot in front of the other and we'll get there soon enough!"

And so they went with that plan. Seto would have to stop every few steps to take some deep breaths to keep from actually passing out, but for once, the other boy didn't seem impatient. He merely held him up patiently, waiting to help him with the next step. When they'd gone a whole "limo-length," the brunet groaned and leaned against a tree, wings sagging further and nearly causing him to fall backward. However, Joey was still helping him, and gently pulled him from leaning against the tree, intent on getting him wherever it was he wanted to get him.

The Dragon Master found himself becoming agitated despite all of his tries to stay calm when he felt it getting humid. But, instead of taking it out on Joey—because obviously, the blond did not control the whether—he merely clenched his hands into fists and dug his long, sharp nails into his palms, determined to get to the place he was being led to.

Hot. Water. Hot water. _Hot springs._ He'd died and gone to heaven.

Joey frowned and looked up at the brunet in concern. "Seto? Can ya stand up by yourself while I help ya take your pants off?"

Seto hummed thoughtfully, as glowing a little as he imagined different scenarios, but finally shook his head—both as an answer and to shake all of the naughty, risqué thoughts away. "I don't think I can."

"…Then we'll take your clothes off right here and then I'll help ya over t' the spring," the younger boy decided, pushing him to lean his back against the tree nearest to the hot springs.

The brunet watched as the Golden One knelt in front of him to help him take off his shoes and socks, a few fantasies dancing in the back of his mind, but mostly he thought about what Kankana said, and how the Golden One wasn't supposed to have to take care of his or her mate. _He_ was supposed to be taking care of _Joey._ But now the blond was taking care of him, when all he really wanted was to be taken care of so he wouldn't be hurt anymore.

He felt like trash for making him do this.

Joey hesitated a little when he reached up to unbutton and unzip the brunet's pants, blushing a little. Sure, he'd seen the other boy naked once, but they weren't kissing and touching each other then—well, okay, Seto had kissed him once, but— "…Seto? Is it okay if I…?"

Seto tilted his head slowly, his head fogged with pain and exhaustion, and the humidity wasn't doing much to help him. When he saw the younger boy's hands hovering above his pants, he smiled a little and nodded. "It's not like we didn't have PE together, Joey. …And you saw me when we were staying with the elves."

The blond blushed even more and looked back at what his hands were doing quickly, then squeaked when he realized just where exactly on the other teen's body he would be looking, and quickly averted his gaze elsewhere. "I… I didn't like ya like then like I like ya now, though."

"Mm." The CEO closed his eyes and sighed softly, shrugging. "Might as well see what you're getting attached to, then."

…To Joey, that made no sense whatsoever, but he realized that the brunet didn't quite make sense often. Opening the older boy's pants, he hesitated only a moment more before he began pulling downward on the leather. He made sure to keep his eyes down and to the left, though. He felt as if he was taking advantage of the other boy like this.

Seto hummed softly as he stepped out of his pants, watching as the blond's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. "You should take your clothes off too."

"Hah?!" The blond looked up at him quickly, eyes wide as if he'd just asked him to… do something extremely naughty. "Ya want me t' get naked?!"

The older boy looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. "You're coming in with me, are you not? Your clothes will get wet if you take them off over there."

Joey frowned, nibbling his bottom lip anxiously, before he slowly nodded his head. "…Yeah, okay." He stood up and made sure the brunet was okay standing, then began to strip his shirt off, at the same time trying to step out of his sneakers.

"Careful. You'll fall." The brunet sighed as the younger boy nearly toppled over, only just barely righting himself. "What did I just tell you?"

"Ha… Shut it, moneybags." The blond finally freed himself of his shirt and turned to glare at him. "I'm fine. See?"

Seto shrugged carelessly, grimacing as his aching muscles protested _loudly_. "Ooh, an old insult. I'm so scared."

Joey scowled, then huffed and began unbuttoning his pants. "Humph! You're such a jerk sometimes, moneybags!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't stop you from being attracted to me," the brunet replied, and his eyes moved downward as the younger boy began to strip himself of his pants. "Mm. Never really got a look at your ass before. You could bounce a coin off that."

The Golden One let out a squawk and turned to face him sharply, blushing brightly. "D-don't say stuff like that, ya pervert!"

"Hmm… Whatever you say." The brunet reached out for him weakly, just barely grasping his shoulder, then groaned softly as the younger boy led him toward the hot spring. "Thanks."

Joey helped him ease into the pool of hot water, then let out a horrified squeak as the brunet's arm slipped from his fingers. "Oh, shit! Seto!"

Seto resurfaced seconds later, however, and groaned—but this time in pleasure, as the hot water began to soothe his aching muscles. "Oh, God, _yes._"

"Ah…" The blond blushed a little as the older boy leaned up against the edge of the pool, then slid into the water as well. "…S-Seto? I… I can give ya that massage now. Would… ya like that?" His blush grew darker as the brunet began to purr. "Seto?"

"I'd like that very much," the older boy answered softly, then reached out to grab him and pull him onto his lap.

Joey squeaked softly, eyes growing wide, before he looked away nervously and rested his hands on the brunet's shoulders. "…Are ya sure?"

The Dragon Master's purr grew louder, and he leaned in to nuzzle the blond's neck. "I'm very sure, Joey. Just a while in here, and then we'll get moving again. Okay?"

"…Okay," the younger boy answered softly, then began rubbing the brunet's shoulders.

Seto moaned in delight and relaxed back against the side of the pool, gripping the blond's thighs firmly. "Mmn, that's good… Yes…"

Joey blushed again, lowering his gaze to his lap as he moved his hands down the brunet's arms, tail wagging slowly as the other boy's noises grew in volume. "…Ya… ya like that, Seto? Does it feel good?"

"Mn, talking dirty doesn't suit you," the larger teen moaned, sliding his hands around to cup the blond's butt. "Doesn't suit you at all. But _I_ can talk dirty to _you._"

The blond gasped softly, blushing again, and tightened his grip on the older boy's shoulders as he began squeezing his ass cheeks slowly. "Uhn-! S-Seto! What do ya-!"

"Do you want me to talk dirty to you, Joey?" Seto hissed, moving his lips next to one of the blond's twitching ears. "Because I will if you want. I can tell you things that would make you blush fire-hydrant-red."

"Oh…" The Golden One blushed further, leaning back a little as he brought a hand to his chest. "I guess… I guess it wouldn't hurt, huh? While I'm massagin' ya. That would be okay, right?"

The brunet hummed and nodded, wrapping his arms around the smaller teen's waist to pull him closer. "Just my shoulders, please. My arms are fine."

"Okay." Joey began rubbing his shoulders again, moaning when he felt soft, warm breath on his ear. "S-Seto…"

"I could just eat you up, little puppy. Just gobble you up like the greedy dragon I am. I want so badly to spread your legs and lick your tiny little entrance, to shove my tongue inside of you and lather up your little hole with saliva so I can stretch you and shove my dick into you as far as I can." When the blond gasped, he couldn't help a soft, deep chuckle. "You're probably wondering what brought this on, aren't you. A few minutes ago, I was adamant about moving on."

The younger boy blushed and nodded. "Y-Yes."

"Because I don't think I'm going to have many more chances to tease you like this. I don't know why. I just don't think I will." Seto frowned and leaned his cheek on top of the blond's head. "Is that wrong?"

"Don't _think_ like that, ya jerk!" Joey exclaimed, scowling, and smacked his shoulder. "We're gonna be okay, so don't think that!" He squeaked softly as the brunet's mouth latched onto his neck, his teeth catching his skin and pulling lightly. "A-ah! Oh…! S-Seto, what're ya—"

The older boy tangled his fingers in the blond's hair, cutting him off by pulling him into a messy kiss. He couldn't explain his desperation to keep him from talking, to keep him from worrying. He had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't be able to take care of him soon—not that he was currently doing a very good job of it right now—but his instincts were rarely wrong.

The blond mewled into his mouth and slid his arms around his neck, unconsciously twitching his legs together bashfully when the older boy slid a hand to his inner thigh. "Mm-!"

Seto trailed his fingers along his sensitive skin, smiling when the Golden One giggled. _'Ah. He's ticklish on his thighs if you touch lightly enough.'_

"Nyeep!" The younger teen blushed and pulled back from the kiss, bringing a hand up to his slightly swollen lips. "…Seto…"

He smiled and caught his hand to begin placing kisses on his fingertips, then the back of his hand, and up his arm. His tongue flicked out to catch some of the water dripping down his arm, making him gasp in surprise, then giggle again. "Mm… delicious. You should giggle more often."

Joey blushed a little more, turning his gaze away again. "Don't be so embarrassin'!"

"Mm… so tasty… Maybe I _will_ eat you up." Seto ran his hand down the blond's chest slowly, suddenly frowning. "Joey, if—no. Joey, _when_ we get home, after we go on a few dates, will you go to bed with me? I'll make it perfect for you, I promise."

"W-why would ya ask me somethin' like that, ya pervert?!" He felt as if his cheeks would burst into flame soon, they were so hot and red.

The brunet looked up at him, absently trailing his fingertips over the younger boy's chest. "I just want to know if you'll realize that I care about you, and I worry that you never will. I know… I know you'll only ever have sex with me if you're certain I care."

Joey tilted his head, frowning in confusion. "Seto? I know ya care about me. I… I'd let ya have sex with me now, but I'm…" he trailed off, then blushed lightly and looked away.

Seto sighed. "A nervous virgin. I know."

"…Yeah…" The blond leaned his head against his shoulder, frowning. "…I dunno, Seto. I might, but I can't promise ya anything."

"That's all I need right now, then," the older boy whispered, before snarling and standing up abruptly, hiding the blond behind him.

Joey squeaked and looked up at him in confusion as he pressed back against the side of the pool of water. "S-Seto?"

The Dragon Master growled angrily, glaring at the translucent female figure in front of him. "Who are you?"

"_The mistress of these springs,"_ she whispered, becoming one with the water again, before reappearing on his other side. _"You need to leave. They're coming for the Golden One. They know he's here. He's like a beacon for the darkness."_

Seto growled loudly. "I can't protect him. I'll slow him down."

"_My waters can heal anything—that is my special power. Please go, while you still can."_ She gave each of them one last, glowing stare before disappearing back into the water.

Joey was already out of the water and halfway to their clothes when the brunet turned. He did feel as if his pain had lessened, so he climbed out of the hot spring and trotted over to get dressed as well. "I don't think I can fly yet, so we'll just have to run."

"Uh huh. Yeah. Got it." The blond pulled his pants on and began scrambling to get his socks and shoes on. "Where we gonna go?"

"Away. And we're going to pray we find something on our side before Akuju finds us," the older boy replied, stepping into his pants. Grabbing his shoes and socks—and the blond's shirt—he thrust them into his arms and picked him up quickly. "Come on."

"Eep-! I don't need ya t' carry me, jerk face!" The younger teen blushed and crossed his arms with a huff, holding their clothes to his chest tightly. He squeaked as the brunet began flapping his wings, giving him an extra burst of speed, then closed his eyes tightly and leaned his head against his shoulder. "Seto-!"

Seto continued sprinting until the trees became too dense for him to spread his wings, when he finally slowed to a jog. Joey looked at him and frowned. "I can get down and walk, Seto."

"_**No.**_"

The blond jumped slightly in surprise. The older boy hadn't used that voice since he'd been attacked by the incubus. Looking up, he saw the brunet's eyes glowing brightly, his eyeteeth having extended past his bottom lip again. He wasn't to the point where the air was crackling with electricity yet, but he was definitely on his way.

"…Seto, I—"

"_**Mine. **__Mine.__** Won't take you 'way.**_"

Joey frowned in confusion. "…Seto, calm down. They haven't—"

Seto snarled as he felt a sharp pain in his back—right between his wings—and stumbled. That was enough time for a half a dozen snakes to slither around his legs and latch on to various roots, trying to keep his legs immobile. He twisted violently to keep from crushing his precious load and let out a furious roar, reaching down to slap at the snakes as sparks began dancing along his fingers. The snakes hissed and ducked away, writhing in pain as their bodies were electrocuted.

The brunet bit his lip as his back twinged again but struggled to his feet, fixing his grip on the smaller boy. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, _**fuck, FUCK!**_"

Joey grabbed his shoulders quickly. "Seto, calm down! You're gonna accidentally hurt me—_OHMYGOD!_"

Seto let out a yelp as the ground disappeared from beneath his foot and instinctively turned, tossing the blond upward. "Shit!"

Joey reached up and caught the edge of the cliff quickly as his other hand closed around the brunet's, adrenaline shocking his system into a panic. "Oh God, oh God! Seto?!"

The older boy tried to flap his wings, hoping he might be able to save them, but every small movement sent shockwaves of pain through his nervous system that made him want to curl up in a ball and cry. That would be decidedly bad for their current situation.

"Think of somethin'!" the Golden One exclaimed frantically, tears forming in his eyes. "I know ya got an idea! You're a genius, right?! Ya gotta have an idea!"

The brunet had to admit that he did have an idea, but he was wracking his brain for any other plan, because the idea he _did_ have meant that Joey would be all alone with no one to help him. But he could see the younger boy's hand slipping with ever second he took to think. He'd never be able to find another solution fast enough.

"Joey, as soon as you get back up, I want you to run, okay? It doesn't matter where; just run as fast as you can away." He sighed when he was met amber eyes muddied with confusion and loosened the grip he had on the blond's hand. "Can you promise me that, puppy?"

Joey gripped onto his hand tighter. "Seto-! Y-you're not thinkin' what I think you're thinkin'! I know ya aren't! Ya gotta have another idea!"

"…There's no other way, Joey. Just get back up, start running, and don't stop until you can't run anymore." He lifted his free hand to his neck to break off the chain of his necklace, then reached up to place it in the other boy's hand.

"But—Seto—Ya can't—" The blond let out a whimper and tried to wrap his legs around the older boy's arm, so he wouldn't be able to let go as easily, but unfortunately he wasn't fast enough. "_Seto!_"

He could only watch in horror as the brunet's longer fingers slipped out of his, and it seemed as if his hand was falling away in slow motion. Seto offered him a small, bitter smile as he fell before he wrapped his wings around him. Joey winced as he hit a small outcropping in the cliff, and he continued falling, falling away—until he was gone. Gone.

He was alone.

Joey looked down at the necklace in his hand, and he remembered it as being the second most precious thing to the other boy. He yipped softly as his hand slipped a little and he reached up frantically to keep his grip. He climbed back onto the cliff and whimpered softly, then turned to look back down, still trying to comprehend that Seto… Seto was gone.

He was alone.

Joey turned his head sharply as he heard a loud hiss, then got to his feet and began to run, intent on obeying his friend—even if he was no longer there. He would mourn later, when his life and safety wasn't in danger. But… he just… had to wonder, though…

Would Seto have been more than a friend if he'd allowed it?


	21. Chapter 20

Author's Note: Joey's got a nasty potty mouth this chapter, but it's basically the words 'fuck' and 'bastard' multiple times. Fear not! It's nothing you wouldn't say if _you _were in his position. **:**D

Edit (06-09-09): Blargh, I ruined Akai's dragon talk. How come no one noticed that whenever dragons speak they're bold and italicized, and suddenly Akai's talking like a normal person?

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Joey looked down at the necklace in his hand, and he remembered it as being the second most precious thing to the other boy. He yipped softly as his hand slipped a little and he reached up frantically to keep his grip. He climbed back onto the cliff and whimpered softly, then turned to look back down, still trying to comprehend that Seto… Seto was gone._

_He was alone._

_Joey turned his head sharply as he heard a loud hiss, then got to his feet and began to run, intent on obeying his friend—even if he was no longer there. He would mourn later, when his life and safety wasn't in danger. But… he just… had to wonder, though…_

_Would Seto have been more than a friend if he'd allowed it?_

Chapter 20

Joey whimpered as he fell to the ground, eyes filled with tears he hadn't yet allowed to let fall. He just wanted to get someplace safe, someplace familiar. All he'd been doing was running, and now he was too tired to go on. He had no idea where he was going and absolutely no inkling of where to go. He just… he just wanted to fall asleep, then wake up and realize that it had all been just a very bad dream. Seto was alive, he wasn't the owner and protector of a mythical place, and he wasn't _lost and alone and scared—_

He let out a shriek as he felt something curling around his legs and turned, eyes widening in horror when he found a snake slithering around his ankles, and another one wriggling around his calves, and yet another one circling his knees. They were trapping him, and he could see the evil glints in their eyes, venom dripping from their fangs, as if they were just waiting for him to try and bat them away.

He was trapped. Akuju was going to find him and take him somewhere and make him his slave—

Against his will, he began to cry, and he brought the necklace still clenched in his hand up to his chest. "Seto… I'm sorry…"

Joey couldn't help a shriek as he was shaken by a loud, angry roar. The snakes around his legs' tails began rattling as they began slithering away, leaving him mobile, but completely at the mercy of whatever had roared. Peeking up timidly, he could only gasp in relief and crawl over to the big, welcoming claws being held out to him. "Red-Eyes-!"

Akai let out another roar, frightening away any other creatures coming after him, before lifting the small blond onto his back. Then, curling his wings around him protectively, he returned to his stroll through the forest, brushing trees out of the way as he passed through them.

The human crawled up near his neck, frowning, and tapped his fingers against his scales. "Re— Uh… Akai? I… I thought ya were dead."

"_**I was,"**_ the black dragon replied, glancing back at him only for a moment. _**"Now I'm alive again."**_

"But… but that makes no sense." Joey's brows furrowed together in confusion. "Akai?"

Sighing, the dragon stopped and turned his head to look back at him. _**"Sometimes, I just need to get away from everything; I had an egg forced upon me by my parents, I had to take care of it for a year, and on top of all that, I have three mates, all of which are very demanding when it comes to sex. I knew I'd especially need the break now, because in a few months, our own eggs will be hatching. …I have ten separate eggs. I need to be there to discipline all of them."**_

The blond's face fell, looking hurt and betrayed. "But I thought… I thought ya were sick. And I know that ya said it wasn't my fault, but I still thought it was."

"_**I **__am__** sick."**_ Akai nuzzled him softly, a soft purr making itself known; the human could feel the dragon's rumble beneath him. _**"It **__is__** killing me. It's been killing me slowly for thousands of years."**_

"…Huh?" Joey looked up at him in confusion, tilting his head innocently. "…H-how could an illness do that?"

"_**It's called exhaustion,"**_ the dragon stated, and the blond was surprised to see that he was making his way toward a large, deep river. _**"I waited too long to leave this time; my mates actually believe me to be dead."**_

"Then why don't ya tell 'em that you're okay-? Akai? Akai, what are ya doin'?!"

Akai hissed as he slid into the water, spreading his wings and slapping the surface loudly—playfully. _**"I wasn't… raised. I was abandoned, and I took care of myself. I was an independent dragon. Now, I'm not saying I don't love my mates—I love them dearly. I just… need my solitude sometimes."**_ He looked down and sighed, at least having the decency to look ashamed. _**"…I just… can't tell them. They'll be disappointed they chose me as their mate. I was just… so happy when they chose me. I don't want them to regret choosing me when they were so excited at first."**_

The blond frowned. "I don't think they'll regret it, Akai. I'm sure they'll be disappointed ya didn't tell 'em about it, but I don't think they'll ever be disappointed in choosing ya as their mate. They love ya. Ya should never doubt that."

"_**But… Master…"**_ The dragon frowned as well, looking perplexed. _**"Then why did you? Did you not see how smitten he was with you, like Kankana didn't see Soumya?"**_

"Smitten-?" He gasped and covered his mouth in horror when he realized that it _was_ very much like Soumya had been smitten with Kankana. Seto had been as affectionate as he'd allowed, had taken care of him, had been attentive, had looked at him with the same longing, sad hunger that the kirin had given his inugami. And he'd missed everything.

Akai looked back at his master in concern as he began to sob, body trembling with the force of his tears as he cried his heart out. _**"Master? What's wrong? Did the Dragon Master decide not to wait on you anymore and move on?"**_

Joey continued to cry, gripping the brunet's necklace tightly to his chest as he bowed his head. "H-he's dead, Akai! He died tryin' t' protect me from Akuju! It's my fault he's dead!"

The dragon let out a startled snort, then turned to move out of the river. _**"We need to get back to Den then—"**_

Letting out a startled shriek, he grabbed onto one of his dragon's wings and yanked frantically. "_Akai, look out!_"

Akai turned back quickly just in time to see long, glistening fangs before he was struck down, roaring in agony, back into the water. His last view before his body was swallowed under the water was his master being accosted by a long, slick-scaled tail of some sort of serpent.

Joey shrieked again, horrified, as red began seeping into and staining the water where the dragon had fallen. "Akai! _Akai!_ No! Let the _fuck_ go of me-! Bastard!" He pounded on the tail holding him, still crying, but trying to stop to be able to see. "Let me _go!_" He tried his best to release some of his power, but then the tail was whipping around and slamming him into a tree. He let out a yelp as his head was smacked against the rough bark, then whimpered softly as his vision began to darken. "N-no… no… Akai… Seto…"

Everyone was dying and it was all his fault.

-x-x-x-

Seto gasped and crawled out of the water trying to drag him back into the flow of the river, clawing at the muddy ground to keep from being swallowed back in. His breath came in ragged pants as he dragged himself up onto the bank, eyes darkening as he looked around. He couldn't see his mate. Where was his mate?

He let out an infuriated grumble as, in the back of his mind, he remembered something about another person setting eyes on his mate. Now that he was believed dead, who was to say that the man wouldn't go after his mate? He needed to find and protect his golden love from him, and he was very possessive of his family.

Letting out a snarl, the brunet stood, flapping his wings as he tried to sense for his mate's aura, and immediately found it. He was alarmed, to say the least, when he found his mate's golden, warm aura dim, as if he was injured. He roared angrily, using more force with his flapping wings to gain air and find a comfortable altitude to go to his mate, to protect his dame. _[1]_

-x-x-x-

Kankana watched as each and every canine from Den ran off at a gallop, and the male and single dragons took to the air to find both Joey and Seto. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at the hundreds of big, innocent eyes blinking up at her. "…Looks like it's just you and me, then."

The franks began to mew, the blue one looking more distressed than the others—she assumed it was because even the small dogs, including Tlipo, had gone out to seek the Golden One. Turning her attention to the pups, whom had been left with her (as was the one Mother's duty when such times occurred), she sighed again. She wanted nothing more than to be out there with them, sniffing out her human charge, but now her responsibility was not only to him, but also the future generations of Den.

But taking care of twenty different litters was outrageous.

She blinked in surprise as the franks suddenly turned their attentions to the pups and began leading them away, then frowned and went to trot after the small group, just somehow _knowing_ they'd get into trouble if she didn't keep an eye on them. A yelp escaped her throat, however, when she found herself pounced upon.

"Ow! What the-! _Soumya!_" Kankana wriggled slightly, whining when she found she couldn't move from under him. She blinked in surprise when he began to purr, then glanced up at him as he hooked his front legs around her waist, frowning when she saw his eyes slowly but surely turning red. She didn't remember pissing him off recently… "…Soumya…?"

Soumya nuzzled her neck roughly, growling. "Time to take your mind off of worrying, _Mother._"

"What are you—_Nyaaa!_ You _pervert,_ there are _puppies_ nearby and—"

"Do you really think the franks would baby-sit unless it was suggested to them?" The kirin offered her a feral grin as he made himself more comfortable behind her. "And the best way to be a mother is to have some practice. So let's make some pups."

"Now is _really_ not a good time, Soum-_yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!_ Oh, shit!" She let out a small, desperate whine. "Forgive me, Joey…! I didn't know that dragons were this horny…!"

-x-x-x-

Joey whimpered as he was made aware of an excruciating pounding in the back of his head, then cracked his eyes open, reaching back to try and feel the damage to his skull. Feeling his hair matted down with something sticky and wet, he mumbled a curse; he knew blood when he felt it. "_Shit._ Why the hell—I can't heal myself!"

"Did you really think I would be that stupid?"

The blond looked up sharply and nearly sobbed in pain when his head throbbed in protest. Once his pain-induced fuzzy vision cleared, he was able to see the familiar red-eyed, black-haired bastard that had it out for him. "_Fuck._ No wonder I feel like shit."

Akuju raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you really think I was going to heal you? It's easier to take advantage of you when you're in pain and weak. I'll heal you after I make you my pet." Walking over to the prone blond, he smirked. "You'll make a lovely pet, won't you, Golden One?"

From anyone else, Golden One had sounded like a pet name, an endearment, or a title—from his friends, Seto, or the creatures of Mythaven. They loved him, cared about him, hoped for the best, but this man made it feel dirty, like something he never wanted to be called. He felt like he'd just been called 'whore,' or 'slut,' which made it so much worse because he _liked_ being called Golden One. Akuju had taken his name and made it into something ugly.

Joey tried to sit up, but then his head was spinning and his stomach was churning, and he wondered if that's what Seto had felt like when he'd gotten injured— Gasping, he felt around frantically for the brunet's necklace, but couldn't find it. "Where's my—"

"Oh. You must be looking for this," the dark man stated suddenly, holding the Duel Monster card pendant up by the chain. "I have to say, it was a chore getting this out of your hands. You didn't want to let it go."

The blond whimpered and tried to sit up. "Give it back-!" He gasped in pain as the man grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head and dragged him upward for a rough mashing of lips that could otherwise be called a kiss, but he didn't want to. "Mm!"

Breaking the kiss, Akuju smirked, red eyes darkening to crimson. "I'm going to love claiming you, taking all of that light for myself. You know, I really wanted to be the first one to take you. Perhaps sending all of those creatures after you to rape you was a bad idea."

Joey let out a yelp as he was dropped to the ground, then curled up as small as he could, glaring up at the man angrily. "L-like hell you're gonna get anything, ya pervert!"

"Oh, that's so cute." The black-haired man knelt before him, smirking. "You think you have a choice. Let's get one thing straight, Golden One." As soon as his playful expression was there, it was gone, replaced with a dark, dangerous scowl that made the blond tremble and want to hide in fear. "You do _not_ have a choice. You are mine—_my_ pet. As soon as I make you mine, I plan on destroying each and every stupid mutt under your power."

"Like he—" A ruthless backhand sent the blond whimpering to the ground, head throbbing again in protest from all of the abuse it was receiving. He so badly wanted to heal himself, but he had no idea how. "W-what didja do t' me? Why can't I use my powers?" he asked weakly, a tear sliding down his cheek.

Akuju smirked again, the dangerous expression on his face disappearing for the moment as his eyes flickered down to the boy's neck. "Oh, you mean you didn't notice your new jewelry?"

"Hah…?" Reaching up to his neck in confusion, Joey was horrified to find a thick collar wrapped around it. "Ahn! Bastard! I don't hafta do anything ya say—"

"You'll find that you don't have much say or choice," the older man purred, trailing his finger along the blond's jaw, before he reached down and gave him a spank.

"Eep!"

He looked surprise for a second, but then he grinned. "Damn, that's a nice ass. Can't wait to screw you."

Blushing, the younger boy scowled at him and punched him in the nose. "_Bastard!_"

Akuju looked surprisingly unconcerned for someone with a possibly broken bloody nose. Standing up straight, he lifted his hand to catch some of the blood, then suddenly grabbed the blond around the waist and lifted him to give him a spanking. "You're a very naughty pet, aren't you!"

"Aha-! Ow! Stop it-! _Fuck!_ Ow! I'll fuckin' _kill_ ya, bastard—_Ha!_" Whimpering, Joey squirmed, gasping in relief when he was dropped back to the ground. This spanking was nothing like Seto's. Seto's had been playful but making a point; Akuju's was just painful and cruel, and he could tell that the man had gotten a sadistic pleasure out of it. "Ah…!"

"Now, pet, really. You shouldn't make me punish you like that." Kneeling before the Golden One again, Akuju cupped his cheek and drew his face up for a quick, otherwise chaste kiss.

The younger boy didn't have the heart to try to fight him off anymore. His head was throbbing and his ass burned, he was naked and wearing a collar, his protector was dead and he was at his enemy's mercy. His day was just one shit-fest after another. He whimpered as the other man pulled away and looked up at him, tears filling his eyes as he prepared to beg.

"Please… please, give it back. It's my last piece of Seto. Please?"

The man blinked in surprise, then glanced at the pendant and smirked. "Ah, so the Dragon Master is dead then?"

The blond gasped in horror as the pendant was suddenly consumed in flames before the man dropped it in front of him. Desperate to save his last memento of Seto, he lunged forward and began beating the flames out, then sobbed and brought the still burning-hot necklace to his chest. "Bastard! Ya _heartless_ bastard!"

"Yeah, I've been told I have no heart before," Akuju replied, smirking, before giving him a small pat on the head. "I'll be back for you later, pet. Until then, get some rest; I want you to be feisty when we go to bed."

Joey glared after him and snorted, gripping the necklace tightly. "Hope ya _die,_ ya fuckin' _bastard!_"

"You really need to get a new insult." The older man flashed him a victorious grin from the doorway. "After all, 'bastard' and all of its variations has gotten very old."

Watching the metal door slam closed, the blond's glare faded, and he let his gaze fall to the stone floor, a tear sliding down his cheek. "…Seto…" He opened the locket to see if the picture inside had been damaged, and he was relieved to find that Mokuba's childhood photo was still intact, though the glass covering it was a little worse for wear.

That caused another pang of agony and sadness. How was he supposed to tell Mokuba that Seto was dead, and he'd died protecting _him?_ Mokuba hadn't been there to see their relationship grow, to see how close they'd gotten. He wouldn't understand why his brother had given up his life for a… for a mutt.

And _Kaii._ Kaii was without a Papa now. How was he going to take care of Kaii when it hurt to discipline him and Seto wasn't there to do it for him?

Two people that had been depending on them were no without a guardian. He could only hope that Akuju didn't find out about either of them, or else he'd probably find out a way to get both of them to torture him or force him to do things he didn't want to. Oh, God, he was in a bad spot.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Why yes, Seto _has_ regressed in his thinking patterns. He just goes with the basics now. Joey equals dame. Dame is in trouble. Therefore, sire must save his dame. Because dragons mate for life and he'll be damned if Joey mates with anyone but him, even if it is against his will. **:**D


	22. Chapter 21

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_That caused another pang of agony and sadness. How was he supposed to tell Mokuba that Seto was dead, and he'd died protecting him? Mokuba hadn't been there to see their relationship grow, to see how close they'd gotten. He wouldn't understand why his brother had given up his life for a… for a mutt._

_And Kaii. Kaii was without a Papa now. How was he going to take care of Kaii when it hurt to discipline him and Seto wasn't there to do it for him?_

_Two people that had been depending on them were no without a guardian. He could only hope that Akuju didn't find out about either of them, or else he'd probably find out a way to get both of them to torture him or force him to do things he didn't want to. Oh, God, he was in a bad spot._

Chapter 21

Kankana blinked tiredly, wondering if she should use the energy to bat away the puppy currently pulling on one of her ears. Deciding no, she didn't really care enough to move, she sighed, then turned a glare on the smug looking kirin cuddled up next to her. "I hate you."

"I realize you're not happy with me, Kankana; however, I'm much too sated to care." Soumya nuzzled the top of her head lovingly. "Mm… I finally got you as my mate. I'll probably be on this high for a while."

"If you try to hump me again I'll gnaw your dick off, puppies be damned."

Both adults lifted their heads as they heard a loud, rumbling groan at the entrance to Den, then Kankana was on her feet, limping toward it. She turned and scowled at the pups and franks beginning to follow her. "You all stay here or I'm going to nibble your little tails off."

The pups and franks stared at her in horror, then turned and began piling behind Soumya. The kirin frowned at her. "Should you be going alone? …And should you really be talking to them like that, love?"

"I'm gonna hurt you…" She shot him a dirty look before continuing her limping journey.

Soumya watched her go in concern, then stood, nuzzling a few of the more frightened looking pups. "It's okay. Her bark is truly worse than her bite." He gave them a comforting smile. "Stay here. I'll go make sure nothing hurts her. She's handicapped, after all."

As he walked away, he could have sworn he heard a soft feline voice hiss, _"Don't let her hear you __**say**__ that…"_

He pondered that for a moment, then shrugged. Franks didn't talk. They merely mewed and whined. Trotting around the corner, he let out a horrified shriek. "_Ghost!_"

"Don't be a moron!" Kankana snapped, the fur of her front leg, muzzle, and chest matted with sticky dragon blood. "Go get the nearest unicorn, Soumya, or Akai's going to die!"

The kirin didn't need to be told twice. He took off at a gallop and didn't look back.

Turning her attention back to the bleeding dragon, she scowled. "The girls are going to be _pissed_ with you, Akai."

The black dragon let out a rumble of annoyance but was too weak to speak. He was fading fast and he knew it. He may not live to see his kits grow up, but he needed to be able to tell Kankana—anyone that could repeat the information—where he was when he'd last seen Joey without sputtering blood. They had to know that he was in Akuju's clutches.

-x-x-x-

Joey gasped as the necklace was yanked from his hands again and looked up, tears of frustration filling his eyes as he was met with the evil man's sexy smirk. His glare faded to a worried frown when he saw flames flickering at his fingers. "No-! A-Akuju—"

"Ah, ah, ah." Akuju shook a finger in his face. "You are my pet. I am your master. You will address me as such, understand?"

"…I…" Letting his gaze fall to the floor, he took a shaky breath, then whispered, "Master… Master, please?" He looked up at him pleadingly, the tears welled up in his eyes making him look more sweet and innocent. "Don't take it away, Master. Please."

The older man hummed thoughtfully, smirking in delight as he reached out to cup his cheek. "Mm, that's good. I like a docile bitch that knows how to beg."

Joey whimpered softly, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Please, Master. I need it—_please!_" He gasped when the flames came dangerously close to the pendant, then reached out to grab the raven-haired man's pants. "_No!_ Please, Master-! I'll do anything, Master, please—" He yipped in distress as he was yanked forward so his face was pressed into the other man's crotch. Horrified, he scrabbled backward, eyes wide. "Ahn-!"

Akuju raised an eyebrow at him, smirk still in place. "You said you'd do anything."

"…I…" The blond hesitated, then took a deep, shaky breath and crawled forward again, his watery eyes causing his vision to blur as he leaned in and nuzzled the older man's crotch. "Yes, Master."

"Mm, good pet." The raven-haired man began to pet him gently, humming in satisfaction. "Yes, very good pet. But I want more."

Joey whimpered softly, eyes widening again when he realized what he had to do if he _ever_ had any hope of getting the pendant back. He never should have let his guard down, loosened his fingers, just _allowed_ him to take the necklace. He hesitated only another few seconds before reaching up to timidly undo his pants.

The man's smirk grew as he leaned back, allowing a soft, pleased moan to escape his lips then the blond pulled his cock out of the confines of his pants. "Yessss… Good pet…"

The blond groaned softly, the tears in his eyes slowly rolling down his cheeks, as he dipped his head and hesitantly licked the head of cock. He gasped as the older man grabbed his hair and shoved his head down, nearly gagging as the long shaft was forced down his throat. He reached up and grabbed his hips quickly, choking, then gasped in relief as the hand gripping his hair so tightly yanked his head back up.

Akuju frowned in disappointment. "Hmm, you've got such a beautiful mouth but can't do anything with it. …We'll have to remedy that."

"Master, please, I didn't mean—" Joey began desperately, terrified that the pendant he was doing this for would be destroyed simply because he didn't know what he was doing.

"Shh…" Putting a finger to the blond's swollen lips, his smirk slid back in place. "I'm not that cruel, pet. It's not your fault you don't know how give good head."

He bit back his retort that he was cruel enough to torture a helpless _puppy,_ but then he realized that right now… he _was_ the puppy. Akuju could do anything he wanted to him right now, and no one could stop him. …All of the ones that cared about him were dying.

"All you need is a little instruction, pet." Pulling the blond into a kiss, he reached down and cupped his ass, pulling the smaller boy onto his lap. He moaned loudly when he felt the blond tremble and pulled him closer.

Joey whimpered as he felt the red-eyed man's erection rubbing between his cheeks and grabbed his shoulders, terrified that he was going to lose his virginity the way he'd been threatened—without mercy and as painfully as possible. He didn't want to… If only he'd let Seto…

Akuju growled and stood, making the blond hook his legs around his waist quickly, then turned and walked for the door, breaking the kiss to begin biting and sucking at his pet's neck. "Mmn… Time for me to claim you, pet."

"Ahn-! Ah…" The blond whimpered again, but this time in pain—the raven-haired man's eyeteeth were extremely sharp, and being bitten by him hurt. "Y-you're hurtin' me…!"

"_Good._" Giving the blond a slap on the ass, he hissed into his ear, "Gonna fuck you so good, pet. Make you into a good little slave, good little whore. You'll learn to put your ass in the air for me, won't you?"

Joey lowered his gaze to the floor, tears welling in his eyes again as he nodded. "…Yes, Master."

"Good pet." Smirking, he leaned back and held up the pendant. "Since you're being so obedient, I'll even let you hold this as I fuck you. Would you like that, pet?"

Nodding quickly, the blond nearly sobbed in relief. "Yes! Yes, Master! Please! I'll be good!" He smiled when the man nodded back and leaned his head in to nuzzle his shoulder, hoping to win more points, so he'd be able to keep it longer.

Akuju raised an eyebrow in surprise, then glanced at the pendant thoughtfully. With the Dragon Master dead, he could control the blond to do anything with his pendant. …There was a thought. Perhaps his plans to destroy Mythaven and cover it in darkness wouldn't take so long after all.

-x-x-x-

When the kirin returned, it was to find the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons nuzzling their mate lovingly but angrily. _**"Should have **__told__** us you were tired—"**_

"_**Do you know how **__worried__** we were?!"**_

"_**Don't you **__ever__** do this again, Akai—"**_

The unicorn trotted past him and snorted in annoyance, then let out an angry whinny. "Get _out of my way!_"

The three females turned angrily, but when they realized it was someone that could help their mate, they immediately moved aside. The unicorn snorted again and stomped up to the wounded dragon, looked him over, then looked over at Kankana and nodded. "Give me a few minutes and he should be fine."

"Ah." She nodded slightly. "Good. I've heard it's bad for one's health if they're sputtering blood when they speak."

"_**No one likes a smart ass,"**_ Kisara stated coldly, giving the inugami a dirty look.

"Kankana…" Soumya also gave her a disapproving glare, which had her looking down at her paws as her ears drooped and her tail curled up under her belly.

Sighing, she turned to slink back into Den and take care of the pups and the franks. "I didn't mean anything by it…" she whispered sadly, before disappearing into the darkness of the caverns.

The unicorn raised a brow and turned to the three dragons and the kirin. "…Cruel. Absolutely cruel." Then, he turned back to the wounded dragon, concentrating on his magic and healing the deep wound on his neck.

The kirin tilted his head in confusion, then looked up at the female dragons for an explanation. They appeared just as baffled as he felt.

Akai let out a displeased rumble, the only noise he felt he could make until the unicorn healing him told him he was okay to speak. His ruby eyes flashed angrily as his rumble grew louder when the others failed to comprehend just what exactly they'd done wrong.

The unicorn sighed and took a few steps back. "Okay, you're healed as well as I can get you. You may speak."

"_**Stupid insensitive **__morons!__**"**_ the male dragon roared, standing. _**"She already feels she's failed not only her mother, her pack, and the Golden One, but then you scold her for coping with it the only way she knows how?!"**_ The three females and the kirin ducked back from his thundering voice, raspy from just being healed and low with anger. _**"Have you **__ever__** known Kankana to be anything but snarky and sarcastic when she's upset?! Have you **__ever__** known her to be anything but spiteful and snappy when she's afraid?! And you would **__scold__** her for being upset and afraid when she believes that she single-handedly destroyed the happiness for EVERY CREATURE IN MYTHAVEN!?"**_

His mates shrank further, eyes wide; seeing him annoyed was a rarity, and to see him absolutely furious meant that someone close to him had been hurt very, _very_ badly. They knew Akai had mentioned hanging out with Kankana in the forest before she'd led him to the valley to be taken care of, when he was a kit and she was a pup, but they'd never imagined the two to be close friends; they didn't talk to each other often, and when they did, it was to play fight (Akai snapped at her and she snapped at his tail, the only part of him he could really hurt) or snap rude or snarky comments at each other.

Akai wasn't finished. _**"How **__dare__** you take out your anger on her?! How **__dare__** you hurt her when she's already so fragile?! I am alive! **__I__** am fine! Yell at **__me!__**"**_

Soumya didn't take as long as the white dragons to realize that Akai was only _half_ speaking to him, so he took off after the emotionally injured inugami as quickly as he could. Kankana was his mate; he was supposed to know her, and love her; how could he have snapped at her when she would obviously be upset?

He slowed to a stop just outside the den he knew his mate would be in, frowning, when he heard a soft sobbing sound. Taking a few steps forward—only enough to be close enough to peek inside—he peered around the doorway to see what was happening. He felt his heart fill with remorse when he saw the inugami sitting in the furthest corner with her back to the doorway, tail tucked under her and ears drooped like a scolded puppy. Her body shook with quiet, heartbroken sobs as the pups and franks rubbed up against her to try and comfort her.

Pups always did know how to judge a person. They'd obeyed because they could tell she was at the end of her emotional rope and didn't want her upset, otherwise they would have whined and whimpered and made nuisances of themselves until she really lost her temper with them. They'd done their best to make sure she was okay and he'd made her have the meltdown that had probably been coming all along; he'd just made it happen sooner.

Ears wilting, Soumya sighed and merely watched as his mate continued to cry, and the pups and franks she was supposed to be watching instead took care of her.

-x-x-x-

Joey yipped as he was thrown onto the large bed, sliding slightly on the silky satin sheets. He gasped softly as the older man was suddenly on top of him, lapping at his neck, then whimpered and reached up to grab his shoulders. "Y-ya said I could hold it. Ya said I was good, so I could hold it," he whimpered, digging his nails in slightly.

"Hmm…" Akuju smirked and sat up slightly. "I did say that, didn't I? And I wouldn't want to be a mean master. You wouldn't listen to me then, would you, pet?" When blond shook his head quickly, eyes glued to the pendant worriedly in case he decided to burn it anyway, he couldn't help a chuckle. "Mm, I'll let you hold it. You want it that badly, don't you?"

The smaller boy couldn't help a relieved smile as his fingers closed around the Duel Monsters card pendant and brought it to his chest. His smile immediately faded, however, when he felt the raven-haired man's fingers curling around his knees, and he whimpered nervously as his legs were pulled open. "M-M-Master? A-are ya gonna—"

"Fuck your adorable little brains out? Yes, I am," the older man replied, then raised an eyebrow and gave the blond's tail a curious yank.

"_OW!_" Joey twisted onto his side reflexively, wincing, and shot the man a confused glare as tears of pain filled his eyes. "What'd ya do that for, ya bastard!?"

Akuju blinked in surprise, then smirked again. "I had no idea your tail was so sensitive."

"Aha-!" The blond whined loudly as the man grabbed his tail again, yanking upward on it and forcing him to roll onto his knees to try and keep him from yanking his tail out. "T-that hurts!" He yipped as the red-eyed man gave him a spank, then whimpered, clutching Seto's necklace to his chest desperately. "Mn… Please don't hurt me too badly, Master. …Please… I… I don't wanna hurt…"

The man raised an eyebrow, then gave him another spank. "I'll decide whether it should hurt or not, pet."

Joey bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes tightly, trying desperately to think of a way out of this as his enemy leaned down and began kissing where he'd just slapped. …He could only think of one way out of this. He just prayed to God—or anyone else out there—that it worked.

Akuju sputtered as the blond's tail suddenly swatted across his face, then let out a grunt when it was followed up with a foot into his gut. "Fuck-!"

Kicking him again just for good measure, Joey scrambled off the bed and ran for the door. He fumbled with the doorknob for a few seconds, and those precious seconds cost him as he started to open the door only to have it slam back shut. He yelped as he was spun around and slammed against the wood, then whimpered, tears beginning to form again as he looked up into blazing red eyes.

"You know, I thought I was being pretty generous, not just fucking you as soon as you woke up, and even letting you keep that stupid necklace." The raven-haired man narrowed his eyes, an angry glint in his eyes as he slammed his hands against the door on either side of the boy's head. "But now I see that being soft on you has done nothing but make you think you can actually _get away._ But you won't, Joey. You are _going_ to be my bitch."

The blond gasped as the necklace was yanked out of his hands, then reached for it desperately, even though he knew he wasn't tall enough to get it when the other man was holding it above his head. "No-! It's mine!" His eyes widened in horror as he saw hot, dark flames begin flickering about the pendant. "_No!_"

"You forfeited the right to own something the moment you _thought_ about running," Akuju hissed, narrowing his eyes again, before throwing the pendant onto the floor and crushing it beneath his foot.

Joey dropped to his knees and frantically shoved his leg away, sobbing as he was only met with the charred remains of the necklace. "…Seto…" He shrieked as the man grabbed him by the hair and dragged him back toward the bed, the throbbing in the back of his head beginning anew as he tried to stumble to his feet. "No! Let me go, you bas—_Ah!_" He whimpered as he was shoved into and bent over the side of the bed, his hands pinned above his head on the bed as his hips were trapped between it and the other man's body. "Don't do this t' me, please, I don't wanna—"

"I was going to make it good for you," Akuju hissed angrily, bucking his hips forward to grind against the blond's. "But now, I'm going to fuck you until I have a pool of your blood at my feet from trickling down your legs from your ass. You'll wish you'd never made the attempt to escape."

The younger boy sobbed anxiously, digging his fingers into the sheets as he tried to prepare himself for the pain he knew was coming. "I'm sorry, Master, I—"

"You will _never_ feel as sorry as I'm going to make you feel in a few minutes."

Joey groaned as he felt the man positioning himself behind him and closed his eyes tightly, trying to relax his muscles to keep from being hurt too badly. "S-Seto…" Just as he felt Akuju moving to finally ram into him and claim him, their attentions were immediately arrested by the window shattering, and then there was an infuriated roar that Joey had only heard once before and had his heart pounding with hope.

"_**MINE!**_"

Feeling the other man being torn off of him, the blond turned, sobbing in relief when he found that it was, indeed, Seto rescuing him—but… this Seto was so much different, somehow.

Seto snarled, baring his fangs angrily as they circled each other. The man had been touching his dame—_hurting_ his dame. This man had almost claimed what was _rightfully_ his. Therefore, the man had to _die!_ The blond was _his_ dame. _HIS!_

Snarling again, he whipped his tail around to smash into the stranger's side, catching him by surprise. "_**My dame! MY DAME! Can't take away my dame. MINE. Not yours. MINE!**_" He let out an infuriated roar as tendrils of shadows began wrapping around his dragon appendages, then started around his arms and legs. Twisting his body to keep the shadows from pinning him completely, he reached out to grab the man's wrist and send bolts of white lightning through his body.

Joey watched in horror as the man being electrocuted let out a pained groan but otherwise made no noise, instead choosing to throw a handful of fire in the brunet's face. Seto's only response to that was an angry roar and tackling him to the ground, despite the tendrils of darkness still trying to pin him down. Then, he began tearing at him with his claws and teeth, snarling.

The blond whimpered and crawled to the opposite side of the bed, then sprang off quickly and went to go curl up in the furthest corner, trying to make himself the smallest target possible in case their attention turned to him. He couldn't help a whimper of relief when Akuju knocked the Dragon Master on top of him away, just long enough to escape to the broken window—he couldn't imagine how he'd feel if he actually _watched_ Seto kill him.

Akuju turned back in the window only long enough to shoot the blond a glare. "You _will_ be mine, pet." When this only served to agitate the already furious brunet, he turned quickly and leapt out the window.

Joey whimpered anxiously and looked over at Seto, watching him look himself over carefully for any major injuries. When he saw that he had none, he turned his attention to the room—and ultimately, to him, his blue eyes glowing in delight at seeing his dame still there. Beginning to purr, he slowly made his way across the room, eventually sliding to his knees to continue to him in a less intimidating, more seductive crawl.

The blond couldn't help a blush of embarrassment at the heated look he was receiving, especially when the Dragon Master's eyes fell to half-mast and his tongue flicked out to lick his lips in a deliberate display of arousal. "S-Seto, I—Nnh!" He gasped as the brunet lunged at him and pinned him into his corner, nuzzling lovingly at his neck. "Seto, w-what are ya d-doin' t' m—"

Seto snarled and began rutting their hips together, determined to cover the blond with his own scent again instead of having to smell that _bastard's_— He let out another snarl. He could smell the other man's scent all _over_ his dame. Standing, he pulled the blond into his arms and began toward the window. When the smaller teen whimpered in confusion, he leaned down to nuzzle his neck comfortingly before leaping out the window and spreading his wings.

Joey slid his arms around the brunet's neck quickly in fright, nearly beginning to hyperventilate. "Seto-! Oh God!"

"Mmn…" The brunet dipped his head only for a moment, to indulge himself in a short, languid kiss, then looked back up and looked around for a body of water to wash his dame in. He had to get the other man's scent off of him as soon as possible. "Mine."

The younger boy sighed softly, confused beyond belief as the Dragon Master took him wherever they were going. What was he supposed to do with him when he was being so… cave-man? He gasped as the brunet suddenly dropped him and let out a terrified shriek, only to find himself immersed in water. …He would _kill_ him.

Seto landed just outside of the water's reach, but only long enough to shed his pants before he dove into the water to catch his mate's flailing body to bring him back to the surface. Once he was sure the blond could breathe properly, he began rubbing his body down, intending to get the other man's scent off as soon as possible.

Joey squealed and tried to slap his hands away, blushing, only to find his wrists caught in one of the brunet's powerful hands. "Ah-! S-Seto, what are you—" He groaned as the older boy slid his hand down his stomach, the whimpered as it changed its path to rub the inside of his thigh. "Seto… Seto, please… I… Not right now…!"

"Hmmn… Mine…" The Dragon Master hummed and wrapped his wings around them, blocking out the rest of the world as he slid his arms around the blond's waist and nuzzled his neck. "My dame…"

"S-Seto, stop…" The younger boy squirmed weakly, reaching down to grab his hand. "I don't wanna—Didja see what he just did t' me-?! Please, I don't—" He gasped softly as he felt a sharp pain on his shoulder and turned his head, tears filling his eyes when he saw that the brunet had bitten him, had sunk his fangs deep into his skin. "Aha-! Seto, that—Ngh…!" He whimpered and bit his bottom lip.

Seto released his shoulder and began lapping at the wound he'd inflicted, intending on cleaning the wound personally. "Mmn… My dame. _Mine._"

Joey gasped again as the brunet slid a knee between his legs and forced him into a semi-sitting position. "Uhn-! Seto-! Stop it!"

"Tch." The older boy growled angrily. "Tell me to stop it when you smell like someone _else?_ No." He nuzzled his neck roughly. "Need to cover you in _my_ scent."

The blond groaned as he was turned around to face the Dragon Master and laid his head on the other boy's chest, sighing tiredly. "…It's been such a long day, Seto…"

"Hmm." Seto grunted in reply, then scowled as he finally noticed the collar on his neck. "What is this?"

"Huh?" Confused, the blond looked up at him and tilted his head, growing concerned when the older teen's eyes began to glow angrily again. "S-Seto? What's what?"

The brunet hissed loudly, then sunk his teeth into the leather wrapped around his dame's neck, only to let out a snort of surprise as a painful shock ran through his body. Determining that the necklace was hurting his dame in some way, he began chewing and tugging, despite the pain he felt as he did so; the other man had tried to chain his mate and claim him without the blond's consent. He did not approve and wanted to get the reminder of his mate's torture off of him as quickly as possible. …He just had to be careful not to snap his neck accidentally, however.

Once he'd chewed through the leather, he flung it away, then pulled the blond closer and began to pet him lovingly. "My dame."

It was more out of habit then out of actual spite that the younger boy began saying, "I'm not your—"

Seto snarled angrily and bared his teeth, then let out an angry huff when the blond ducked his head submissively. How was he supposed to protect his dame if his dame didn't even acknowledge him as his sire?

Joey blinked silently, brows furrowing together in confusion. Why was the brunet being so possessive and… and mean? Why wasn't he listening when he said 'no' anymore? Why was he acting so much like a dragon looking for a mate and less like— …Oh.

Looking up at the older boy anxiously, he made sure to catch his gaze before fluttering his eyelashes innocently. "Seto? Please calm down. I didn't mean it." He bit his bottom lip when the brunet gave him a skeptical look, then leaned forward and placed a kiss on his chest. "You're my sire."

Finally pleased that his dame was accepting the fact that he was the sire, the Dragon Master began to purr, then swam to the edge of the lake and sat down, settling the blond in his lap and nuzzling his neck lovingly. "Mine."

Joey sighed softly, then reached back to finally—finally!—heal the back of his head. He reached to heal the new bite he had on his shoulder as well, but when he heard the other boy growling in disapproval, he let it go, instead deciding to allow his eyes to flutter shut in exhaustion. He'd had a long day, full of stress of pain, and then he'd had to heal himself, which he still didn't think he was very good at. He'd figure out how to deal with a more possessive Seto and getting back to Den later.

Seto watched the blond drift off to sleep, then sighed and stood, carrying the blond over to a rock and setting him down gently. He took a moment to shake himself and dry off, then slid his pants back on, grunting in annoyance when the leather stuck to his still damp skin. Once he'd gotten his pants to cooperate, he picked the blond up again, then took to the air. He couldn't quite remember where they needed to go for safety, or even where it was; he did, however, remember that it was safe and both of them would be take care of.

And he'd be able to claim his mate in peace, without worrying on evil rival perverts that would take the blond against his will.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Eh? Eh? What do you think? *grin* Didn't see some of that coming, did ya?


	23. Chapter 22

Author's Note: Yeah… There's gonna be some lemony stuff at the bottom… You don't have to read it to be able to keep up with the story. And don't worry; I'll warn you before you get there. **:**D Hopefully this will keep you until I can get the next chapter finished. Mrghf…

On another note, In Character Seto makes an appearance for a moment, but I don't plan on him coming back completely until next chapter.

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Joey sighed softly, then reached back to finally—finally!—heal the back of his head. He reached to heal the new bite he had on his shoulder as well, but when he heard the other boy growling in disapproval, he let it go, instead deciding to allow his eyes to flutter shut in exhaustion. He'd had a long day, full of stress of pain, and then he'd had to heal himself, which he still didn't think he was very good at. He'd figure out how to deal with a more possessive Seto and getting back to Den later._

_Seto watched the blond drift off to sleep, then sighed and stood, carrying the blond over to a rock and setting him down gently. He took a moment to shake himself and dry off, then slid his pants back on, grunting in annoyance when the leather stuck to his still damp skin. Once he'd gotten his pants to cooperate, he picked the blond up again, then took to the air. He couldn't quite remember where they needed to go for safety, or even where it was; he did, however, remember that it was safe and both of them would be taken care of._

_And he'd be able to claim his mate in peace, without worrying on evil rival perverts that would take the blond against his will._

Chapter 22

Joey groaned, brows furrowing together in confusion when he felt something hot and wet rubbing against his collarbone, stroking back and forth over and over. Eyes fluttering open slowly, he squirmed a little, only to be tilted backward slightly. "Mn… Ah…" He shivered slightly and tried to focus, then looked down, puzzled, when the hot and wet something didn't stop what it was doing. "Nn…?"

Seto smirked as he caught the blond's eye but didn't stop what he was doing, continuing to lick across his collarbone and give it the utmost attention.

"Ack!" Blushing, the younger boy began to squirm anew. "S-Seto, what are ya-! Stop!" He winced when the brunet let out a frustrated growl, then began a trail of kisses down his chest defiantly. He blushed even more as the older boy slid a hand up from his side to gently rub one of his nipples and grabbed his shoulders. "Hey!"

The brunet let out an unamused rumble and glanced up at him in a manner that could only be described as scolding. "My dame."

"Just because I'm your dame doesn't mean—_haaaaa…!_" Joey whimpered as the older boy's mouth descended on his other nipple and closed his eyes tightly. "Seto…"

Seto hummed in satisfaction and sat up slightly, laving the small bud lovingly with the flat of his tongue before rolling it lightly between his teeth. When the blond gasped softly and began to mewl, a purr rumbled from his chest, and he began to ease him down onto his back. The blond mewled again in protest, but didn't really put up a fight, so he brought his wings around to shield their heads and ran his tongue up to the smaller boy's throat. Once there, he allowed his tongue to flutter in a small hiss, making the blond giggle slightly in surprise and flinch away from the tickling touch.

That giggle was _delicious._ …Actually, every noise he made was delicious. He needed to make the noises continue to pour forth from the blond's pretty little mouth!

Joey gasped softly as the brunet parted his legs with his knee and looked down quickly, then squealed when he saw the bulge in his pants and realized what he was trying to do. Quickly turning onto his side, he shielded his naked body as best he could from the Dragon Master's hungry gaze and questing fingers. "S-Seto! Now is _really_ not the time for this! We need t' get back t' Den and—" He whined as the brunet let out a snarl and turned him onto his back again. "Seto!"

"_My_ dame. Mine!" The brunet curled his upper lip back to expose sharp, glistening eyeteeth that he could—and probably would, if driven to it—sink into his neck to claim him instead of making love. When the smaller boy tried to push him away, he caught his wrists and pinned them down next to his head. "Mine!"

"I-I know I'm yours, Seto, don't be mad!" He had to think fast; he'd upset the other boy, and now he was ready to literally _sink his teeth into him._ How was he supposed to appease him, though? He was so possessive, and was so focused on being the dominant one— Oh!

Seto snarled and settled between the blond's legs, then dipped his head to snap at his neck. "_Mine!_"

"Yours!" Joey exclaimed quickly, making the brunet hesitate, then lift his glowing blue gaze to his face. Seeing that he had the Dragon Master's attention, he smiled nervously. "I'm yours! You're my sire-! But… but I don't want ya t' claim me yet." He watched anxiously as the brunet seemed to consider it, then ducked his head nervously when the other boy growled. "S-Seto! I-I wanna mate with ya, but now we need t' get somewhere safe! Akuju could find us out here, and—"

Mentioning Akuju was probably what made it happen. Either way, before he knew what was happening, Joey found himself curled up in the brunet's arms as he took to the air again, snarling about bastard cheats that would take a mate against their will.

-x-x-x-

Kankana sniffled softly and opened her eyes when she heard one of the pups whimpering. "What is it, love?" She frowned as she found a small group of puppies and franks staring just outside Den in horror, the franks' fur standing up as they hissed while the pups tucked their tails beneath their bellies and folded their ears back. "…Guys?"

The franks began to hiss with more fury and fear as the pups all took that moment to shriek, "_Snaaaaaaaake!_"

"Snake?" It took a moment—her head ached from crying so hard, and she felt as if her brain were surrounded by mucus—before she realized exactly why they were afraid. "Shit! Snake!"

Surging to her feet, she got in front of the small group of small creatures and bared her teeth, only to be met with a slap to her side that sent her rolling over the floor. "Gack!" She whimpered as she hit a tree before falling to the ground, then whined as the giant snake's tail began slipping around her waist. "Neghmm…" Tears of pain filled her eyes as the snake tightened its grip around her and she let out another whimper as she lifted her head to glare at it, a rumbling growl escaping her throat, only to turn into a yelp of horror as she saw big, glistening fangs dripping venom coming directly at her. "Oh shit!"

She shut her eyes tightly so she wouldn't have to see her death coming at her, ears folding back in shame that the pups and franks would have to suffer the trauma of watching her being killed. She frowned in confusion when she felt no pain after a few minutes, then heard a low, angry growl; she hesitantly opened her eyes and was immediately horrified.

Soumya growled loudly, not even flinching at the feel of two long, thick fangs being sunk into his side; instead, he was more focused on protecting his mate, who currently had pups/kits forming in her belly and needed to be protected. Glaring at the snake and bearing his own set of fangs—each and every tooth glistening with saliva—he ducked slightly, then lunged forward, sinking his sharp teeth into the snake's soft flesh.

Kankana yelped as the snake began writhing in pain, consequently tossing her away and causing her to land in a disgruntled and startled heap in front of the pups and franks. Scowling, she grumbled to herself and rolled onto her stomach, ready to stand and go give _both_ of them a piece of her mind, but came to a horrified stop when the kirin lifted onto his hind legs and began clawing at the snake, twisting his head back and forth to cause as much damage with his jaws as he could, and the snake was writhing and flailing and _dying_ and— But, but, another snake was coming out of the forest to help it! Oh, shitdamnfuck!

Changing direction entirely, she turned and ushered the terrified pups and franks back toward Den, exclaiming, "Into the cave, into the cave!"

The pups did not have to be told twice and ran, shrieking, back inside. The franks, however, let out high-pitched battle yowls and charged forward, pouring forth in a mighty multicolored wave of tiny fangs and claws. The leapt on the other snake, squalling loudly, only to slide or fall back off because their tiny claws couldn't get past the snake's thick scales. Since they couldn't die, they'd be little more than a nuisance and distraction; the snake would eventually ignore them and turn to assist in the killing of the kirin.

The blue leader frank let out a mewl as it hit the ground roughly, then sat up, eyes filling with tears. Kankana vaguely wondered why this frank was such a crybaby, but then the cries coming out of its mouth were growing louder, and rougher, and then—

The blue frank let out an angry roar, and the inugami saw the closest thing she'd ever seen to a saber-toothed tiger—except bright blue and with a pompom on the end of its long, thin tail. The saber-frank loosed another roar and leapt forward, sinking its claws into the intruding snake's flesh and tearing at it, sending blood and scales flying.

Kankana gagged, then made a mortified squeak as she found one puppy still out there, staring in wonder and awe. Darting out and grabbing it by the scruff, she turned and ran back into Den, trusting the franks—the cute, adorable, _scary_ little (giant?) franks—and Soumya to be able to handle the situation. …She would be comforting panicking pups.

-x-x-x-

Seto let out a disgruntled snort, blinking at the scene in surprise, before carefully tapping to the ground and looking around. There was so much blood. What had happened? Whose blood was it? How—

"Oh!" Joey gasped and covered his mouth in horror, then hid his face in the brunet's chest, shaking his head in denial. "Oh, God, all of the dogs are dead, I know it!"

…The brunet didn't comment on the two snake-like skeletons near the forest. He figured that that would just make his dame even more upset. So he walked into Den instead, carefully making sure that his mate didn't see anything he didn't want to see. Once inside Den, he began walking. He wasn't really sure where he was going, but he figured he'd find someone eventually.

After a few minutes, the younger boy peeked up at him, furry ears folding back nervously. "…Seto?" When the brunet let out a grunt, he bit his bottom lip, then anxiously asked, "Are ya sure ya really want me as your mate?"

The Dragon Master was not amused. He made that clear by answering with an infuriated roar. "_Of __**course**__ I am!_"

Joey winced and ducked his head, tears forming in his eyes. "…I'm sorry, I… I just wanted t' be sure…"

There was no better way to make a sire feel like shit than making him see his dame's tears when he knew that _he_ had caused them. Groaning loudly, he leaned down and caught the blond's lips in a rough kiss. His 'apology' was cut off, however, by a shriek.

"_Snaaaaaaake!_"

Seto let out a startled roar as something pounced on his tail and turned, only to find a surprised looking blue feline, blinking its big green eyes at him. He'd say it was a frank, but it was about fifty times too big and had very big saber teeth. He scowled, curling his lip back in a snarl, and let out a growl. The large feline mewled and took a confused step back.

Joey reached out for it desperately. "OhmiGod! A frank! Where's Kankana?! Where's Mother!?"

The brunet looked down at his dame, puzzled as to how he could _ever_ mistake this big… _thing_ as an innocent little frank. Was his dame daft?

"The Golden One! It's the Golden One!"

"He's back!"

"The Golden One is here!"

His eye twitched as a bunch of pups poured forth from under the large feline. Oh God. There had to be like fifty of them. He took a startled step back as the pups were then joined by franks, the colorful creatures leaping to sit on the larger feline and mewl up at him. What the hell?

Joey patted his shoulder softly. "Put me down, please." When the brunet didn't do so immediately, he snarled softly. "Put me down, Seto!"

Seto hissed but set him onto his feet, then shot the other creatures a glare. "Mine."

Kneeling before the frightened pups, he frowned. "Where's Kankana? Where's Mother?"

The pups, happy and proud to be able to help the Golden One, began scurrying away. "This way, Golden One!"

"Just follow us!"

"We'll take you to Mother!"

Grabbing his sire's hand, Joey took off after them, carefully stepping through the group of franks that had yet to move. They were forced to jump aside, however, when the brunet was dragged through them, dodging out of the way of his feet and tail. They followed the pups down a few different halls before they finally piled into one of the larger dens—the first one they'd found themselves in, asleep in Nenne's care.

Stepping inside, Joey was horrified to find Kankana lying in a pool of blood, her muzzle rested across Soumya's back as he slept fitfully, twitching in pain as his wounded muscles spasmed and tried to heal. "Kankana-!"

She raised her eyes to him for a moment, then lifted her head, smiling in relief. "You're okay. I was worried… Akai had said…"

"Blood." Seto gazed at the puddle of blood for a moment, then looked at the inugami and frowned. "Not yours. Soumya's."

Kankana raised a brow, then nodded slowly. "Yes. It's Soumya's blood. He's healing, though." She eyed him skeptically, then suddenly stood, ears twisting back as her lip curled up in a growl. "What a shitty time for him to be out, though. It would make dealing with you _so_ much easier!" She shot the blond a glare, then jerked her head sharply, motioning for him to come. "Joseph!"

Joey didn't even _try_ to figure out what they were talking about. Instead, he began to go to her, but then he was caught by the brunet's tail and dragged back into his arms. "Ack! Seto!"

The Dragon Master snarled and wrapped his arms around the blond possessively, bringing one of his wings around to shield him from view. "_My_ dame!"

The inugami growled again, but she knew when to give up, especially with the scolding she'd gotten from dragons earlier. "I see. And you haven't mated with him yet." She turned her gaze to the blond only being allowed to peek past the wing at her. "You realize that a horny sire is totally insufferable until he's been sated?"

Joey reached out to gently pull the wing aside, shooting the brunet a glare when he let out a rumble of disapproval, then nodded as he turned his attention back to his guardian. "I've been puttin' him off as long as possible t' get here. I… I know he's a little frustrated." He frowned in confusion. "Kankana? Where's Mother?"

She jerked her head away, still scowling. "…She's dead. She was killed a few days ago, when we were on our way to go speak with Akuju. A basilisk struck her. She was poisoned. …_I'm_ the new Mother."

"Wha…?" The blond frowned, confused, then suddenly sobbed and turned to hide his face in the older boy's chest. "I'm killin' _everyone!_"

Seto frowned in concern, then hugged him tightly, leaning his face on the top of his head. "Who?"

"I've gotten Akai killed, I've gotten Mother killed, I almost got _you_ killed—" he began, but only earned himself an angry spank. "Ahn!"

"Did not." The brunet buried his face in the younger boy's neck. "'m fine. You didn't kill me."

"But _Akai_ and _Nenne_—"

"Does no one listen to me? Is there a reason for me to speak?" Kankana exclaimed, scowling again. "Akai is _alive._ He's alive _twice._ We thought he was dead, and he was alive. Then he got attacked, but he's still alive. Mother was the only one that died and that was to protect _me,_ so you had nothing to do with it." Okay, so the last one may have been stretching it a little, but it was basically true.

Joey whimpered but didn't look up. All of that didn't change the fact that he was the cause for all of his friends' suffering. Seto had gotten hurt, and had turned into some sort of caveman. Akai had nearly died for him. Nenne… Nenne _had…_ and…

"…Need me to spank you again, puppy?" The question was asked in a whisper, but it was asked without the gruffness his voice had been carrying.

Looking up at him quickly, the blond was met with curious blue eyes, still a little fuzzy, but curious. Hopefully, he asked, "…Seto…?"

Seto raised an eyebrow questioningly, his eyes clearing a little more. "None of this is your fault."

"…But…" Joey looked down at his feet timidly. "…But everyone keeps gettin' hurt. All t' protect me."

"But—but!" One of the smaller pups wiggled anxiously. "But if anything happens to you, who's gonna take care of us?"

The blond looked down at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Another pup, a female one, wiggled anxiously as well, looking excited. "'cause, 'cause the Golden One needs to ascend to Nest to be called the _true_ Golden One. And, and if you don't ascend, then… then we've got no one to take care of us, because the gender of the Golden One alternates. And, and if you don't ascend, well, Miss Melissa isn't gonna live forever, and she said she'd be damned if her son ever got the book, and she can't give it to your sister. So… so if anything happens to you, what's gonna happen to us?"

Joey blinked at all of the innocent, questioning gazes directed at him as the pups gathered nearby, gazing up at him in wonder and awe, and it was then that it really hit him. All of these creatures were depending on him, and—not just the canines of Den, or the dragons nearby. It was the elves, and the kodama. It was the centaurs, and the Pegasus. It was the franks, and the other strange and mystical creatures of Mythaven. They were all. Depending. On _him._

"…You understand now," Kankana stated softly. "Some of the Golden Ones never understand. You're one of the fastest to learn that. Granted, no one's had to deal with what you've had to, but to know that you understand now… We're not just dying for you, Joey. We're dying for our pups, and others' pups. We're dying for all of the creatures in Mythaven. Because if you die, there will be no one to take care of us, and who knows what will happen to the book."

"…But…" The blond looked down at his feet, frowning, as his brows furrowed together. "…Nothin' seems t' be able t' stop Akuju."

Soumya groaned and turned his head to look up at him. "Nothing has to. We just have to make sure that he doesn't get you—and he doesn't break you." He frowned. "Kankana, sit down. Don't exert yourself."

"Ya just got me pregnant, ya jerk, I'm not gonna hurt the babies by walkin' around!" she snapped, huffing. "I'm not a fragile little flower, damn it!"

The kirin sighed. "…You're right. You're more like a resilient weed."

"A weed? A weed?!" She snarled angrily, then turned her back to him and sat down, looking up at the blond in annoyance. "Did you hear that? He called his mate a weed."

The blond sighed as well, frowning, as he looked down at the wounded dragon-deer. "…Soumya, being called a weed is never a compliment, no matter how much you mean it to be."

"I hate you all."

The caveman was still there, at least a little bit, as Seto nipped his shoulder to get his attention. He wasn't _jealous,_ per se, but he wanted the blond to pay attention to him. "Puppy…"

"Ah…" Kankana rolled her eyes. "Looks like someone really, _really_ wants to be alone with his… Are you two even mates yet?"

Joey blushed and brought a hand up to his chest nervously. "…Well… No, not technically…"

"But not for my lack of trying," the brunet added, shooting the smaller boy a glare.

Soumya frowned, looking up at the Dragon Master, before sighing in annoyance. "And just _what_ made you go berserk anyway? It better be something good."

Seto growled and hugged the blond tightly, snarling, "He's _mine!_"

At this, the pups immediately backed away, tucking their tails under their bellies and letting their ears wilt submissively. The franks—which had watched in silence—began to mew and squeal, running to guard them from the possibly violent Dragon Master. The blue frank—the large one—roared threateningly, daring him to try and hurt anyone currently in the den.

Joey looked over at it, confused, then looked at Kankana, frowning. "What-?"

"We don't even know where they came from. How the hell were we supposed to know they could do _that?_" she asked, raising a brow.

Seto snarled again, grabbing the blond's chin and pulling him into a rough kiss. The smaller boy mewled weakly, grabbing his shoulders, then broke the kiss and looked away, blushing.

"…It doesn't look like you'll be able to put him off much longer," the inugami stated, and the Golden One glared at her.

"Don't give him any fuckin' ideas then, Ka—" He squealed as the brunet scooped him into his arms and hurriedly wrapped his arms around his neck. "Seto! W-what are ya—"

"_Mine._" His eyes were glazing over again, glowing as he held him tighter. "_My_ dame."

"I say he doesn't even make it to another tunnel before he finds a den to claim him in," Soumya stated, just before the brunet whipped around and strode from the den.

Kankana huffed. "You called me a weed."

"…But a resilient one." The kirin frowned. "Kankana… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings…"

"You _scolded_ me and then you compared me to a weed."

Soumya opened his mouth to argue, but then the pups were gasping and looking at him in horror. "You _scolded_ Mother?"

"Is that why Mother was crying?"

"Why would you do that?"

"We were trying to hard to keep her okay-!"

"I _know,_ I_ know!_ I should get my hide whipped! I'm a horrible person!"

Kankana rolled her eyes and stood. "I'm going to go call the others back to Den, then I'm sending one of the Hell Hounds to inform the dragons that Joey's here. …Amarok will be going to fetch Joey some clothes from the elves."

The pups looked confused. "What's wrong with him walking around naked?"

"…Then you would always see him being molested by his mate," she replied, smiling sweetly. "As nice as it is to see them together, the Golden One needs to do something other than mate, no matter _how_ much the Dragon Master would like that."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

_ZOMG! A Lemon! It's not necessary to read it. You can just skip this part and go on to the next chapter. But, if you want to read it, I guess I can't really stop you. __**:**__D_

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Joey blushed brightly as the brunet carried him down the tunnel nearly at a run. "S-Seto, what the r-rush? Ya know I… Ya know I'm yours. Please, I—"

Seto growled and looked down at him. "Akuju will _not_ have you. I know you're mine. He does _not_ seem to acknowledge that."

"B-but even if ya do mate with me, Akuju won't care-! He'll rape me anyways-!" He frowned as the brunet turned into the next den they came to, then yelped as he found himself slammed down on the floor. "Ah!"

The brunet growled again, crawling on top of him, and leaned down to begin lapping at his neck. "Mine."

Joey squirmed weakly, groaning when the Dragon Master's long, suddenly very skilled tongue ran down his throat to his chest. "Ahn… S-Seto… Please… I…" Eyes drifting to half-mast, he mewled as the flat of the brunet's tongue caught his nipple. "Nn-!"

Seto rubbed his thumb over the blond's other nipple and smirked as this only made the smaller boy whimper and spread his legs a little. As much as the other boy tried to deny it, he enjoyed it, whether he felt he should have or not. But, they were somewhere safe now, and Seto felt he had to claim him before Akuju could. He would _not_ allow them to be mates.

The younger boy mewled softly as the brunet caught his nipple between his teeth and gently rolled it, then whimpered again, reaching up to grab his shoulders. "S-Seto… We… we don't have any… lube…" He blushed even more at the brunet looked up at him mid-lick, blinking in confusion. "…Unless ya have some?"

Sitting up, the Dragon Master blinked at him a few more seconds, then hooked his arms beneath the blond's knees and hoisted them over his shoulders. As the smaller boy squealed in surprise and embarrassment, he dipped his head, languidly running his tongue along the cleft between the blond's cheeks.

"_Eep!_ W-w-what are ya-! Seto! How-!" Joey squeezed his eyes shut in humiliation, feeling as if his face would catch fire any minute as he brought his hands up to cover his mouth. "Don't _lick_ there! I-it's not s'posed t' be—"

The brunet purred, pleased with the smaller boy's indignation. "Delicious."

"Don't talk _stupid,_ ya perve—_Ah!_" Whimpering, he opened his eyes to look up at him, tears welling up as he felt the brunet's tongue poking at his tiny entrance. "Mm…! Mn!"

Seto growled, vaguely remembering that he'd told the blond he'd wanted to do this at some point, and was glad he finally got the chance to carry it out. Pushing his tongue past the tight ring of muscle, he lifted his gaze to the smaller boy's face, eyes glowing at the shocked, embarrassed expression on his face as his eyes widened, his mouth gaping open behind his hands. Purring smugly, he lifted one hand to gently prod at his hole, then slipped a finger inside of him.

"_Aha!_ S-Seto!" Joey squirmed a little, instinctively trying to get away, but his struggles were only met with a strong, unyielding tail wrapping around his waist. "Nn-! No!" Uncovering his mouth to instead grab at the brunet's tail, he tried desperately to writhe in his grasp, but his tail was too strong. "Seto! I…! Mn!"

The brunet continued purring, sliding a second finger into his quivering mate, then groaned quietly as he saw the younger boy's desperate expression, eyes hazy with pleasure he was afraid to accept. For some reason, he found the blond's expression endearing, so he let his legs slip from his shoulders to lay him flat on the ground.

The younger boy whimpered softly as he felt the Dragon Master's tongue slipping out of him, then groaned in relief; that had to be the most embarrassing thing in his whole life! "Seto…" Reaching up for his shoulders pleadingly, he looked up through his lashes shyly. "A-are… We're really doin' this, aren't we, Seto?"

Seto let out a distressed whine, wiggling a third finger into the blond's entrance. "How would you stop me?"

"I…" Blushing again, the Golden One looked away. "…I don't wanna. I can't."

That was all he needed to hear. Looking down at the erotic display in front of him—the glassy golden eyes, the red cheeks, the damp eyelashes and the blond hair spread out like golden halo—just made him that much more aroused, and it was hard to concentrate around the constant throb from his groin. But he knew he couldn't hurt his mate—could never, _ever_ hurt his mate—so he continued to prepare him, even as those gorgeous eyes began to glow with affection and adulation and his body shuddered as he finally found his prostate.

Panting quietly from the sensations thrumming through his body, Joey closed his eyes and brought his hands up to rest near his head. "So… so hot… Seto… It feels so hot…" He looked up through barely parted eyelids as the Dragon Master squirmed anxiously, his glowing blue eyes no longer hazy, but he was too far gone to arousal to relax into the teasing, seductive Seto he knew. "…Seto…"

"Say you're ready. Please, _please,_ say you're ready," the brunet begged softly, so softly that he knew the younger boy couldn't hear it, and when he saw his face twist in confusion, he bent down to begin laving at his throat. "Mine."

"Nn-! S-Seto! I-I'm gonna come before ya even—" The blond blushed and turned his head away quickly, groaning as he felt the older boy's hand on his shaft. "No! I don't—ya can't—" Throwing his head back as his spine arced, he screamed weakly as ribbons of white exploded from his cock, vision going fuzzy.

Seto looked down at the cum on his hand, then smirked, reaching down to use it as lubricant on his own throbbing cock instead of saliva. Feeling the blond's muscles relax around his fingers as he went boneless, he spread his legs wider and settled between them.

Joey panted weakly and looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, appearing puzzled but oh-so-fuck-worthy. "Seto…?"

Lacing fingers with him, the brunet offered him a small smile. "If it hurts, just squeeze."

"Huh? _Ah!_" The smaller boy yelped as felt the Dragon Master's shaft ram into him, then closed his eyes tightly and tried to dig his fingers into the brunet's hand, but he was still too weak from his last orgasm to do much. "Owowowowow! Nrh! That hurts!" He let out a feeble sob as the older boy continued further, until he was finally buried to the hilt. "Th-that-! Seto! It hurts!"

Seto began licking at his neck again, trying to keep his mind off the pain he was causing him. When the blond whimpered and hesitantly twitched his hips, he groaned, then began adjusting his position, despite the whimpers and moans of pain he was inciting from the smaller boy. He jumped in surprise as the blond suddenly wrapped his arms around him, digging his nails into his shoulders as he let out a groan.

"Aaaahn! Oh, that spot! Seto! Nn-!" Joey tossed his head weakly, gasping when the brunet jerked his hips forward as tears pricked at his eyes again. "Aha! That's good! Again! Please! Again!" The Dragon Master blinked for a moment, then pulled out of him slowly, only to slam his hips forward again and cause the blond to scream, dragging his nails down his back as his legs came up to hook over his hips. "Ah! Yes! Do it again!"

The brunet growled, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's waist as he began rocking his hips back and forth. His growl was soon replaced with a purr with every scream that escaped the blond's lips and every scratch caused by desperate, confused hands. He could only watch, pleased, as the younger boy's face twisted with each upward stroke, desperate gasps and pants of his name filling his ears as the screams faded into hoarse moans and grateful whimpers.

Joey clawed at the older boy's back, sobbing weakly as the brunet continued to pound into him. "Seto! Seto! Ah! Yes! Seto! I-! I'm gonna-!" He whined when he felt one of the Dragon Master's hands fisting his shaft again, jerking up and down quickly. "Nn-! No! Seto! Y-you're gonna make me-! I'm gonna come—" He arched his back and bit his bottom lip, trying to choke back his cries, but screamed instead when—with a few more good strokes—he reached his second climax at the other boy's hands. "_Aaahhhh!_"

Seto grunted quietly as the blond clamped down on his shaft but continued his smooth thrusts, holding the relaxing body to his tightly. "Mn. Mine. _My_ dame. _My_ puppy. _My_ mate. _My_ lover." He was vaguely aware of hearing the blond gasp, but all thoughts went out the window once he reached his own climax, letting out a roar as he filled the blond with his own cum.

The younger boy blinked slowly, unable to comprehend whether he had actually heard the brunet calling him his lover or whether he'd just imagined it. But, as the Dragon Master began to sag on top of him, he sighed and let his eyes flutter shut. If he had said it, he'd bring it up if he wanted to. If he hadn't, Joey wasn't going to take the chance of embarrassing himself by mentioning it. He didn't need the brunet to see how moonstruck he was.

After a few moments of just basking in the afterglow, Joey frowned. "Seto? When did Soumya and Kankana become mates?"


	24. Chapter 23

Author's Note: So… the word 'faggot' is gonna make an appearance in this chapter. I think it's an insult and that's how it's been used, but I don't condone the use of this word. I think it's disgusting and shouldn't be used. …Which is why a disgusting person who shouldn't be there is using it.

I was gonna say something else. I can't remember, though. So if you have questions at the end, ask me, and I'll try to answer them.

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_The younger boy blinked slowly, unable to comprehend whether he had actually heard the brunet calling him his lover or whether he'd just imagined it. But, as the Dragon Master began to sag on top of him, he sighed and let his eyes flutter shut. If he had said it, he'd bring it up if he wanted to. If he hadn't, Joey wasn't going to take the chance of embarrassing himself by mentioning it. He didn't need the brunet to see how moonstruck he was._

_After a few moments of just basking in the afterglow, Joey frowned. "Seto? When did Soumya and Kankana become mates?"_

Chapter 23

Joey awoke from his dreams to pain, and not just a 'damn, I slept on something wrong' kind of pain. It was an 'oh my God something just tried to rip me in half' kind of pain. Sobbing softly, he curled up on his side, tears forming in his eyes. _'OhmyGod, ohmyGod, ohmyGod!'_ He winced as he felt a hand on his side and closed his eyes tightly. "I-it hurts…!"

"Ah… I should have been gentler. I'm sorry." Seto frowned in concern, eyes filling with remorse when he saw just how much pain the other boy was in. "Perhaps… last night was a mistake."

"No, it just—" The blond whimpered and turned his head to look up at him. "I… I didn't think it would hurt this bad when I woke up. It didn't feel this bad when ya were doin' it t' me!"

"When I was doing it to you I was stimulating your prostate. Here, let me see…"

Joey squeaked in alarm as he felt the brunet's hands near his opening and quickly slapped them away, no matter how much it hurt. "Don't touch me there ya pervert!" He whimpered as the sudden action caused his body to throb and fell still, trembling, unable to bat his hands away when he moved in a second time.

The brunet frowned and gently slid a finger into him, feeling around to see if he'd torn the younger boy's skin. When the blond merely whimpered, he pulled his finger out and checked for blood, then sighed and pulled his pup into his arms. "Come here."

"Owowowow—" The blond whimpered again before he was cut off with a kiss, and he moaned weakly when the older boy began kneading his sides, carefully digging his fingers into the small of his back. "Mmmnshmefo…"

Seto decided he liked the sound of his name from the blond's mouth being muffled by his own lips. It sounded almost as good as when he was chanting it in the throws of passion. …Perhaps—

Joey snarled and jerked backward, smacking his shoulder despite the jolt of pain sent up his spine. "I know what you're thinkin', ya pervert! You're not gettin' anymore sex until ya take me on some proper dates!"

"…Fine." He could understand that. "But you'll move in with me when we get back."

"…Huh?" The blond tilted his head in confusion, brows furrowing together. "Why?" His cheeks burned bright red at the notion that perhaps the Dragon Master just wanted easier access. "I'm not givin' ya sex for that, either!"

The older boy growled and yanked him closer, and the blond bit his bottom lip nervously as his blue eyes glazed over a little. "_Mine._ Your father hurts you. He hurts what's mine to protect and love and care for. I need to protect you. I can protect you better if you stay with me."

Fearing for both for his body's condition and his father's safety, the younger boy hurriedly nodded, moving his eyes to his lap. "…Okay. I'll let ya protect me." He looked up at him through his eyelashes anxiously. "…But I want my own room. At least until we know each other a little better."

He couldn't help a small smile as the brunet let out a distressed whine. "How can I protect you while you sleep if I'm not with you?"

"I'll tie a bell to my door and window," Joey replied, chuckling when the brunet tilted his head in confusion. "I'll string 'em up so if either of 'em open, they'll jingle. You're a light sleeper. You'll hear it."

Seto narrowed his eyes skeptically, then nodded, leaning back. "…Alright. But I'll hold you to that. And if anyone tries to hurt you, you're moving into my room _immediately._"

The blond sincerely doubted that anything would happen to him in the Kaiba mansion, what with all the security systems and guards the older boy had. No, seriously, he'd seen them; Mokuba had showed all of them when they'd been invited over. Seto was seriously paranoid—but rightfully so, because his brother was constantly being kidnapped.

"Okay." It was easier to smile and nod when the other boy was being difficult. He yelped as the brunet suddenly pushed him onto the ground and flipped him over so he was resting on his stomach, then looked over his shoulder at him in confusion. "S-Seto? Ah-!" He closed his eyes tightly and moaned as the brunet dug his fingers into his lower back again, then slowly moved his hands up and down his back, trying to massage the pain out. "Nn…! Seto!"

Seto found that dodging the blond's rapidly wagging tail while trying to give him a massage was actually quite difficult. After a little adjustment in the way he was sitting, he caught the tail between his legs, and was able to concentrate better on the blond's noises. …Not that that helped his position either.

After a particularly loud moan from the blond, they were interrupted by a soft, polite cough. "Um… Joey…"

Blushing brightly, the blond turned his head, horrified when he found Kankana standing in the doorway, looking a little bit embarrassed. But, not just Kankana. "Kaii!"

The hatchling squealed happily and waddled into the room, not in the least disturbed to see his father on top of his naked mother and making his mother moan. The black dragon's squeal was soon followed by a _'Joy-ee! See-toh!'_

Seto turned sharply, then sighed and slipped off of the blond to instead help him up. "Kaii, Joy." Joy bashed into the brunet's face and began to whimper, rubbing against his cheek affectionately. The brunet sighed and reached up to stroke his side, then blinked in surprise as he found a pair of pants and a shirt folded neatly between Kaii's wings. "Are these for Joey?"

Kankana nodded. "Yes. Amarok went for them. The elves were nice enough to be quick about it."

Joey scowled. "Still no underwear."

"…Elves don't wear underpants, Joey."

"Of course they don't."

Seto caught the hatchling and pulled it into his arms, beginning to nuzzle him and stroke his smooth scales affectionately to give the blond some time to dress. Kaii soaked up the love like a sponge, whining and wiggling and purring in happiness. The brunet rolled his eyes, then looked up to see the younger teen's new outfit and couldn't help a small, aggressive growl. The hatchling looked up in confusion only to have his little jaw drop.

Mama had never looked so _sexified._

Joey blushed, reaching down to try and pull the golden-tan leather pants up further on his hips, embarrassed that they only came up far enough to cup his ass and show off his somewhat effeminate curves. His shirt was a slightly baggy, sheer golden t-shirt that showed off his lean, lithe torso without managing to make him look… dirty. He was innocent and sweet and _golden._

"S-Seto? Kaii? …Joy?"

Even the tiny yellow dragon's mouth had fallen open in surprise.

"…Guys? S-say something." He blushed even more, fidgeting nervously. "…Do… do I look bad, or somethin'?"

Seto growled loudly, eyes beginning to glow. "Fuck. And I can't screw you again until I've taken you on a few dates." He scowled. "You shouldn't be allowed to look so fucking sexy!"

The temperature of Joey's face reached an all-time high as he took a step back, ears folding back as his tail curled under him. "S-Seto, I…"

The brunet growled again but didn't try and jump him, so the younger boy decided he was safe for the moment. Kneeling next to him, he took the baby dragon into his arms and nuzzled him lovingly. "Oh, Kaii, I missed you so much…"

"…Now that your reunion's finished, I think you ought to know that Akai's managed to get himself stuck trying to find you," Kankana stated, then turned to leave.

Joey squealed and stood, hurrying after her. "Whatta ya mean he got stuck!?"

Seto and Joy glanced at each other questioningly, then stood and followed them, curious as to how the large dragon had gotten himself stuck.

They found him growling and trying to wriggle out of the tight squeeze of a tunnel's opening, his wings having caught on the other side, but he'd pulled too far to go more than a few scant inches either way; he couldn't get in and he couldn't get out. Seeing the blond, however, seemed to calm him, and he stretched his neck out to nuzzle and lick him affectionately. _**"Joey, I was so worried! I thought that Akuju had gotten a hold of you!"**_

Joey flinched and looked away from him. "…He… he did."

"…_**Oh."**_ Akai frowned, then hooked his neck around to bring the blond closer, lifting one of his paws to hug him carefully tight. _**"Joey…"**_

"He… he made me suck his… and… and then he was gonna… I… I couldn't stop him." Despite how safe he'd felt with Seto, and despite how safe he'd felt with Kankana and Soumya, he just didn't feel as safe with them as he did in the arms of a large, scary dragon that just didn't seem to know how to die. Luckily, since Kankana and Seto were there, he didn't need to worry about sharing more than once.

The dragon nuzzled him gently. _**"Go on."**_

"I had t' do what he said, or he'd destroy the necklace Seto gave me. I couldn't let that happen; it was my last piece of him, 'cause I thought he was dead—" Sobbing softly, Joey hid his face in the dragon's scales. "So I did what he told me to—I was a good pet—but, but then he tried t' make me his bitch. He was gonna take me. I tried t' get away, but he caught me again, and then he destroyed it—It was my only piece of Seto and he just ruined it-! But then—b-but then—he threw me on the bed and was gonna just ram int' me! He said he'd make it hurt and I said I was sorry and he said I'd never feel as sorry as he was gonna _make_ me feel after he was finished with me-! He was gonna break me t' pieces!"

"_**It's okay, Joey. It's okay."**_

"But he destroyed the necklace and it had Mokuba's picture in there-!" Joey began, only to find himself pulled away from the dragon and wrapped in Seto's arms, and then the brunet's dragon wings were wrapping around them and he was pulled into the sweetest, most tender kiss he'd ever received. "Mm!"

Seto stroked the blond's back soothingly, nibbling on his bottom lip for a moment, then leaned back, frowning. "You did all of that… just for my necklace?"

He felt a scolding coming. Sobbing quietly, the younger boy nodded and looked away, covering his mouth to try and stifle his cries. "It… it was my last piece of ya, Seto." He whimpered and closed his eyes tightly. "I'm sorry I let it get destroyed-! It had your picture of Mokuba in it and everything-!"

"I have copies of that picture, puppy. No need to cry." When this failed to comfort him, he frowned. "Puppy… Joey, sweetie, don't cry."

A loud, upset squeal was heard, and then a tiny pair of black claws was scrabbling at his wings. Lifting it slightly, he allowed the hatchling inside to wiggle between them and keen up at his mother desperately.

Sniffling slightly, Joey bent to pick him up. "So… so you're not mad at me?" He looked up at the brunet from beneath damp lashes. "F-for not takin' care of it?"

Seto shook his head and let his wings fall back, unable to fathom just how the blond could look so heart-breakingly beautiful even when his eyes were still wet with tears and his eyelashes were still damp. "If it came down to it, I'd rather have you safe than have my necklace back. Besides, from what I heard, you tried your best to take care of it with the chances you had."

The blond managed a small smile, then bit his bottom lip and nodded, turning back toward Akai, whom had been watching them patiently. "So you're stuck then?"

"_**Why do your tunnels get so damn small?"**_ the dragon replied by way of answer, then scowled when Joy began nuzzling against his cheek. _**"What are you doing?"**_

"_Meee…"_ The tiny dragon looked crushed, as he went to slide down Joey's shirt and huddle in a ball against his chest.

Joey scowled. "Akai!"

"_**I'm sorry if being stuck in a tunnel has left me more than a little **__pissy,__**"**_ he snapped. _**"It's not my fault he—**__meep!__**"**_ He let out a soft yip as he was suddenly dragged backward and out of sight.

Kankana sighed and trotted past them. "It appears that the girls have come to pull their mate out."

"You mean—" the blond began, only to wince and cut himself off.

"_**What were you **__thinking,__** Akai!? There's more than one reason that dragons aren't allowed into Den!"**_

"_**You're lucky that the tunnel didn't cave in on you!"**_

"_**Baaaah. Leave me alone. I wanted to see my master."**_

Seto frowned and leaned around the blond to look down at the trembling ball that was Joy. "Joy? Don't be sad. Akai's a jerk when he's upset."

"_Meee…"_ A pair of big, watery green eyes peeked up at him, letting out a small whimper.

Joey frowned. "Oh, Joy. Even if Akai really was mad at ya—and I don't think he was—is he really the type of dragon to hold a grudge?"

"…_Meeee…"_ Uncoiling from his ball, the tiny dragon shook his head, still looking teary, but not about to cry.

Kaii tilted his head, blinking innocently, before reaching up to snap at the yellow dragon and whine, eyes filling with tears as well as he began to feel distressed. Why was his Uncle Joy upset?

Joy let out a frantic squeal and began a frenzied line of loopty-loops that would make any stunt pilot faint. That baby dragon would not cry because of him. He would not allow it!

Both the hatchling and the humans watched the tiny dragon's aerobatics until he finally puttered out of energy, made a noise like a tiny, high-pitched engine dying, and began to fall. Seto held his hands out to catch him and looked down at the small, heaving form as it panted for breath. "…Bravo, Joy."

The dragon mouthed what could have been a 'mee' or a 'wee,' but he was still panting too hard to make a sound.

Joey couldn't help a giggle and reached out to softly stroke Joy's stomach. "Aw, you're such a sweetie, Joy! Thanks for makin' all of us feel better!"

Seto opened his mouth to point out that he hadn't felt badly in the first place, but when he saw the Petite Dragon's little chest swell with pride, he decided that it didn't matter. Sighing softly, he offered a small smile to the dragon and reached out to tuck him into Joey's shirt again. "There you go, Joy."

The blond frowned thoughtfully. "Ya know, you'd think this shirt would be too loose for him, but maybe the elves made it this way because they _know_ Joy likes to hide in my shirt."

"Oh, yeah, because this is _totally_ hiding," the older boy replied, snorting, as he poked the little yellow lump. "He looks like a tumor."

"That's so mean!" the blond exclaimed, scowling at him, before huffing and beginning to walk away. "Come on, Kaii. Daddy's being a jerk."

The brunet threw his hands up in frustration. "I was just saying—he looks like a little yellow tumor! Look at yourself in a mirror and you'll see it!"

"Yeah, well at least my tumor's _cute,_ unlike _yours!_"

"What tumor?"

Joey smirked and glanced back at him. "The one on your neck."

It didn't take long for Seto to figure out that the blond meant his head. Letting out a playful roar, he took off after him, making both dragons and the human squeal as the younger boy hurried to hide behind one of the Blue-Eyes still scolding Akai.

-x-x-x-

Joey wasn't necessarily sad to see Akai take his little brother back to be raised with his own kits (two of which had hatched while he was trapped with Akuju). He was a little heart-sick, because Kaii was his baby, but he understood that the dragons would be able to raise him better. He and Seto would visit a lot, though. Besides, Kisara, Aoi, and Shira could give milk. Joey was considerably _lacking_ in that department.

So he found himself sitting just outside the mouth of den, the large blue saber-frank splayed out over his extended legs and purring as he rubbed behind its ears. The canines of Den were currently at a meeting to decide how to send both he and Seto home, and if trying the portal would be safe. Joy had left with Akai and the other dragons—but only because Kaii had thrown a fit and Joy's aerobatics had been the only thing calming him down. Seto was… well, he wasn't sure, but he supposed he wasn't too far away.

Sighing, he looked down at the saber-frank, smiling a little. "Ya know, even in your big, scary form, you're still really cute."

"_Thank you."_

"You're welcome." It took a few minutes, but then it finally sank in, and he looked down at the blue feline in confusion. "…Did you just… speak?"

The saber-frank's brows lifted slightly, but its mouth didn't move. _"Technically speaking? No."_

"Oh." The blond bit his bottom lip. After a few moments of thought, he asked, "Why haven't ya spoken before?"

"_I've never had a reason to."_ The frank snuggled closer. _"We usually prefer not to speak. We find people are more willing to deal with us when we don't."_

Joey nodded in understanding and went back to petting it. "I get it. So can all of ya speak and change into this big form, or is it just the leader?"

"_I'm the only one that can do this at the drop of a hat. The others have to be in immediate danger to be able to do anything. …Not like it matters, because everything has learned that there's no point in eating us. We just claw our ways out of their bellies."_

The blond snorted, then covered his mouth, chuckling. "Oh God! I'm sorry! It's really not funny; I dunno why I'm laughin'!"

The frank sighed. _"It's okay. I'd laugh too. A little to the left, please."_

"Okay." Joey moved his scratching fingers to the left. "So ya changed to protect the pups?"

"_Of course for the pups, but also to protect Kankana. She's one of the only creatures in Mythaven besides Tlipo that thinks we're not as stupid as we act."_ The frank looked up at him. _"She played with us whenever she wasn't doing anything important."_ Its lips curved up into a smile. _"She thinks we're __**cute.**__"_

The blond chuckled again. "I think you're cute, too." He smiled for a few moments, then frowned in confusion. "Why were you always chasing Bakura around?"

The frank sat up and gave him a confused stare. _"Did you not see his hair? It was like looking at a humanoid, white frank! …We kind of stole his hair."_ When the blond snorted again, it huffed. _"Well he said he'd had it for over five thousand years. We've only been here for about seven hundred…"_

"How did you come to be, anyway?"

"…_I think we were imaginary friends for a while,"_ the frank answered thoughtfully. _"And when the little girl died, we didn't have anywhere to go. But then we saw the Golden Light, and we followed it until we found the book. Then we just slipped inside, and we've been here ever since."_

"Huh. That's different." Joey tilted his head, then looked down at the frank and smiled. "Do ya really like Tlipo?"

"_Yeah, but what am I gonna do? You heard what he said; I don't have a gender."_ The frank looked absolutely depressed with this statement.

The blond tapped his chin thoughtfully, then looked down at it again. "…Ya _sure_ franks don't die?"

"…_Why?"_

The boy smiled and clasped his hands together. "I'm gonna need ya back in your small form!"

-x-x-x-

Seto didn't want to say the tidal wave of franks mauling him every time he stepped into the room with them pissed him off. He did, however, want to slap them all off of his tail and wings. They were so _affectionate_ he could vomit sometimes. Bah.

Sighing, he shoved his hands in his pockets and went to go find Joey. He'd tried to listen to what the canines were planning, but one dirty look from Amarok had sent him packing rather quickly. …Then he'd been blind-sided by the franks. Hopefully, he'd find the blond soon. He was sort of lonely.

Not that he'd ever admit it on pain of death.

He tilted his head as he heard a crow of triumph, then made his way to the entrance of Den. "Puppy?"

"Oh yeah! I knew it! I'm awesome!"

…Well that sounded like Joey.

Coming to the mouth of the cave, he leaned against the edge and crossed his arms, watching his mate bounce around, cheering for himself. He was joined by the blue leader frank prancing about, looking as if it had just found out Bakura was its father. …It was creepy to think about, but that fact probably _would_ make the franks outrageously happy.

After a few minutes of watching the blond do cartwheels and whooping, he leaned to stand up straight, taking a few steps forward to be out of the shadow of the cave. "And just what are we celebrating?"

Joey let out a sound that was much like an 'eep' and turned sharply, nearly tripping over his feet. "…Seto-!! Don't do that t' me!" he exclaimed, blushing, as he crossed his arms in a huff.

The brunet smiled and took another few steps forward to lean down and catch his lips in a chaste kiss. "I'm sorry."

"Mn-!" The blond blushed even more and looked away quickly.

Seto chuckled quietly and lifted a hand to gently brush the younger boy's hair out of his eyes. "So what were you so happy about?"

"…Well…" The cute pout was gone, quickly replaced by a happy, proud smile as he turned toward the brunet. "I gave the blue frank a gender!"

It took a few moments for him to understand, so he just stared. But then he realized that the blond must have been saying that he'd used his powers, and used them for something _good,_ because the only reason Tlipo wasn't with the frank was because it was genderless. So it was for both of them, really. However, he'd apparently taken too long to figure that out, because the smile was beginning to fade off of his blond's face and uncertainty was making its way into his golden eyes.

"That's good. …I didn't even know that was possible." Seto frowned and tilted his head, brows furrowing together as he looked down at the younger boy. "But, um… How did you do it?"

"If I told ya, you'd be disgusted," Joey replied, smiling brightly, then turned to look at the frank. "Tlipo should be inside with the others!"

The frank mewled and rubbed up against his leg before scrambling into Den, and the brunet realized that the frank did indeed look more feminine than it had before.

After a few moments of silence, where both just stared after the frank, Seto turned back to the younger boy and smirked, discreetly twisting his tail around him. "So. You can control your powers then?"

Joey blushed a little and looked down at his feet. "Well, I guess, sort of. I mean, not completely, but mostl—eep!" He squeaked as he was yanked up against the brunet and placed his hands on his chest, then glanced back, frowning when he found the white dragon tail wrapped around them. "Hey, that's not fair! My tail can't do that!"

"Please, puppy. You try to get away so often I need all of the help I can get," the brunet replied, then smirked again and placed his hands on the younger boy's hips. "But now that I have you…"

"S-Seto, wait a second, I—_mn!_" Blushing even more, the blond whimpered as he was pulled tightly against the Dragon Master's body and forced into a less-than-chaste kiss. Another whimper escaped his lips when the older boy's tongue delved into his mouth.

Seto growled and kissed him a few more seconds before leaning back, licking his lips as he smirked at the flushed and flustered pup in his arms. "I'm truly proud that you used your powers and nothing bad happened. Don't ever doubt yourself, okay?"

The blond had to take a few seconds to register the other boy's statement, too focused on the long, talented tongue licking his lips and remembering just what that tongue had done to him the night before. Once he did, however, he looked up sharply, cheeks flushed bright red. "Oh! Okay. Thanks, Seto."

The older boy raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "What's that look for?"

"Uh—well, I, uh… I was just thinkin' about…" Joey stuttered, truly so flustered he didn't know what to say.

The brunet could guess, though, and his lips twisted into a smug grin. "Oh, I see. You were thinking about my tongue, and how last night I shoved it into your—"

"_NYEEP_ that's not somethin' ya just say where anybody could hear ya!" the younger boy hissed, clapping his hands over the brunet's mouth as he glared at him. "Jerk!"

Seto caught the blond's hands and pulled them away, still smirking. "But what if I want everyone to know that you're _my_ dame?" he asked, and was pleased to see the smaller boy flush a darker shade of red.

"Why do ya have t' be so embarrassin' about it then-?!" the blond began, only to yelp as something hit him in the back and turned in confusion. He let out a shriek and scrambled to hide behind the other boy quickly.

Believing that it was Akuju, Seto growled and spread his wings out to hide the blond from view, but when he saw who it _actually_ was, he paled, wings wilting slightly in shock. "Y-you…"

The gray-haired man smirked, narrowing his beady black eyes at the older teen as he stepped out of the fringe of trees. "I knew I'd find you here, Seto, but I never expected to see you kissing another boy. I knew there must have been something wrong with you." His ashy-gray dragon wings curled back as his tail whipped around, slapping the brunet across the face and onto the ground. "But I should have realized that you were a faggot, with your lack of interest in all of the stupid bimbos working at Kaiba Corp."

Joey gasped as the brunet whimpered, wings limp around him as he tried to sit up. "Seto!"

Seto looked up at him sharply, only able to look at him out of one eye, as the entire side of his face that had been slapped was covered in tiny, bloody gashes. "Joey, go inside."

"But… Seto…" The blond bit his bottom lip anxiously. "…Are ya gonna be okay…?"

"This fight is mine. Go inside _now,_" the older boy snarled, causing the blond to whimper and turn to do as he was told.

The man threw his head back and laughed, and Joey vaguely noted that it was the same laugh Seto used to do, when he was completely evil, before Yami mind crushed him and made him put his heart back together. "And your partner is an obedient little bitch! He's still got a mind of his own, Seto; you should beat it out of him before he tries to challenge you!"

Seto snarled and turned his attention back to him, beginning to sit up. "Fuck you, old man! Why can't you stay dead?!"

Joey had just made it inside Den when Amarok was there, sniffing him over carefully. "Amarok-!"

"Something evil is here. I sensed it first; the others will be here soon." He stood back and frowned. "What is it? Is it Akuju?"

The blond peeked back outside just in time to see Seto roar in fury and move to tackle the other man only to get flung away and fall to the ground in a crumpled heap, blood beginning to leak from scratches on his torso from the throw. "No, but—I think it's someone even more evil!"

The giant wolf frowned in confusion. "Who could be more evil than Akuju?"

Joey's eyes darkened with anger and pain as he looked up at the wolf again. "Gozaburo Kaiba."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

*GASP* OH NOOOOOOO! Gozaburo is back! And he's got _dragon stuff!_ So not cool. **:**) We'll just have to see what happens between them next time, won't we?


	25. Chapter 24

Author's Note: So, I just realized that Joy is the _Petit_ Dragon and not the _Petite_ Dragon. In my defense, they mean the same thing, and my spell-check says they're both right. How freakin' _lame._

On another note, _OVER THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS!_ I love you guys. **:**D Sometimes I feel unsure about how good this is, and then I look at it on my author page and all of the doubt disappears.

Basically, my common sense kicks me in the butt and screams, "THREE HUNDRED REVIEWS, YA DUMB ASS!"

But no, seriously, thank you all for reviewing everything and being patient with me. I had no idea my story would get this long or be this popular. You make me feel all warm and cuddly inside. **:**)

So! In celebration of my twenty-fifth chapter (technically it's the twenty-forth, but including the prologue, it totals twenty-five), EVERYONE GETS A FRANK! *begins handing out franks* I've got green, I've got pink, I've got blue, I've got orange—I've got an assortment of colors!

Dude, if I made frank plushies, you guys would totally buy them, wouldn't you? **:**D

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Joey had just made it inside Den when Amarok was there, sniffing him over carefully. "Amarok-!"_

"_Something evil is here. I sensed it first; the others will be here soon." He stood back and frowned. "What is it? Is it Akuju?"_

_The blond peeked back outside just in time to see Seto roar in fury and move to tackle the other man only to get flung away and fall to the ground in a crumpled heap, blood beginning to leak from scratches on his torso from the throw. "No, but—I think it's someone even more evil!"_

_The giant wolf frowned in confusion. "Who could be more evil than Akuju?"_

_Joey's eyes darkened with anger and pain as he looked up at the wolf again. "Gozaburo Kaiba."_

Chapter 24

Seto let out a grunt as he hit the ground again, wondering why—_why_—he couldn't hit the bastard. No matter what he tried, be it trying to hit him with his own body to throwing his magic around, he couldn't hurt him! Why?!

Gozaburo laughed, and he realized just how much he _hated_ that laugh. "Is this all you've got? You've become soft, Seto. I never thought I'd see the day!" His face twisted into a smirk. "Though I could never expect more from a faggot."

"Bastard-!" The brunet growled. He knew he couldn't win now, unless he outsmarted him. And he knew what could delay any attack from the man, just long enough to give him enough time to make up a plan. "How'd you manage it this time, old man? I thought we'd gotten rid of you once and for all."

The man laughed again—he hadn't realized just how much that laugh could piss him off. "Some brat named Akuju brought me here. Said he wanted me to destroy you so that he could get some 'Golden One.'"

Seto growled loudly, eyes beginning to glow in fury. "Akuju? Again? Wants _my_ mate?"

Gozaburo raised an eyebrow. "Mate? You mean your little bitch? Well, I guess he is ideal for a male whore." When the brunet snarled at him, eyeteeth beginning to extend, he smirked. "I wouldn't mind taking a shot at him myself, before I gave him over to the other brat."

He knew that losing his temper would be dangerous, but he couldn't help it; every single one of his veins was being filled with ice-cold fury. And he was probably reacting just the way Gozaburo wanted him to—because being angry was just as bad as being a stupid beast. As electricity began to crackle around him, he let out a roar that shook the ground beneath him so hard that the leaves on the trees nearby trembled as he surged to his feet. It was his first _true _dragon roar.

"Se-! Seto!"

Seto blinked slowly, then turned his head, looking over his shoulder in confusion. "…Dame…"

"Seto-! That's just what he wants! Calm down!" His dame was looking at him with such pleading eyes, partially hidden behind one of the larger canines, one of his hands drawn up to his chest nervously. "…Please? B-because Kaii needs his Papa."

The brunet continued to blink at him, but he could already feel his body beginning to warm—his dame had always been good at making him warm.

The blond bit his bottom lip anxiously. "…Seto?"

Seto let out another snarl and turned back to his opponent, wings flaring open threateningly. "You're not taking my dame."

Gozaburo scowled, shooting a glare at the blond watching from a safe distance, then smirked. He only _thought_ he was safe.

The brunet saw the smirk and could easily deduce what he was going to do. He prepared himself to jump to his mate's safety, only to stop and listen in confusion as he heard a sharp clattering sound that was steadily getting nearer. The other man stopped as well, trying to figure out what the sound was also. Hearing that it was coming from the direction of Den, they both turned their attention to it.

Seto paled as the canines began dodging out of the way, and he suddenly realized just who else was inside Den. His fears were founded; the clattering was hooves hitting the stone floor as his kirin guardian galloped toward them. He had a very, _very_ bad feeling about this.

Soumya snorted out some smoke, eyes blazing red, as he hurtled out of the mouth of Den. He was mindless of his still healing wound, as it ripped open and began oozing blood again, but then he was bowing his head, aiming his suddenly imposing single horn at the older man's chest.

Seeing the utter _scorn_ in Gozaburo's eyes, the brunet turned to try and stop him, but the dragon-deer was too angry to listen and continued his charge. Seto could only watch in horror as the kirin was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Gozaburo's eyes widened in surprise as the kirin continued its charge, seemingly mindless of the pain it was in, then tried to dodge, but he was a little too late. Soumya's horn pierced his side, ripping it open and leaving a large, bloody wound there. The flaming kirin snorted, then turned, pawing the ground to get ready to charge again.

It was time for him to make a hasty retreat.

Seto rushed over to Soumya and tried to beat him out, but the kirin merely shot him a bland stare. "Seto, I'm part dragon. A little fire isn't going to hurt." He smiled brightly. "Actually, it's cauterized my wound, which is good news."

The brunet sighed loudly and turned to glare at where Gozaburo had disappeared, then turned sharply as he heard his mate cry out in fear. "Joey?"

Joey was right next to him now, angry tears in his eyes as he reached up to gently rest his hands on the older boy's chest. He trailed his fingertips down to the brunet's stomach, then looked up at him and whispered, "Look what that bastard did to ya, Seto. Why can't he just die and leave us alone, huh?"

Seto sighed, then leaned down to nuzzle his neck. "He's too stubborn to die." He snapped his head upward and scowled, grabbing the blond's wrists and yanking him closer violently. "But I don't want you out of my sight."

The blond gasped in surprise and looked up at him, eyes wide, before he bit his bottom lip and nodded, whispering, "Okay, Seto."

"Good." The older boy dipped his head for a short kiss, then pulled him into his arms and held him tightly, unable to think back on what his step-father had said. _'Joey doesn't look like a whore. He's beautiful. Bastard's just jealous.'_

"I _can't_ believe you just did that," Kankana stated, stomping out to them and giving Soumya an icy glare. "I _really_ can't believe you just did that, you bastard! Are you _trying_ to leave my pups without a father?! Hmm?! _Hmm!?_"

Soumya took a nervous step back, frowning. "W-well, I was just… I-it was Gozaburo, Kankana, a-and I just t-thought…"

"Did you _really?_" She raised a brow, still glaring, still hopping mad. "'cause I don't think you did! You just barged on out here—you reopened your wound!"

"…The fire cauterized it," the kirin replied, looking down at the ground and timidly pawing it.

"Oh, yay, the enemy's fire _burned your wound closed._"

It really shouldn't have been funny, and the blond tried his _damnedest_ not to laugh, but one look at the huffy inugami and slightly humiliated kirin had him covering his mouth to try and stifle his laughter.

Hearing this, the giant dog turned her glare on _him._ "You think it's funny, do you?"

Joey shook his head quickly, laughter dying as soon as it had come as his eyes widened. "No, Kankana."

"I didn't _think_ so." She narrowed her eyes at him, then turned and began strutting back into Den, nose in the air. "I expect you back in Den in five minutes, ready to go home. We're trying another portal." She turned to glare back at her mate. "Are you coming or what?"

Sighing, the dragon-deer trotted after her. "I'm coming…"

Amarok raised a brow and turned his head to watch them pass, then smiled. "Well. It seems she's taking on the role of Mother quite well."

"Yeah, and all we have to do is piss her off," one of the other canines mumbled, but they all turned to head inside as well.

Joey sighed, then turned his gaze to the brunet's torso, watching as sparks began to dance from his fingers and seal the other boy's wounds closed, as if there had never been cuts or scrapes there at all. "I can see bits of Nenne in her, now. Only Mother could be so sweet and kind and then get so totally pissed off that no one's safe."

Seto hummed softly to show he was listening and closed his eyes. "You're getting really good with your powers, puppy."

"Well, a really smart guy told me I could never actually _control_ my powers," the blond replied, smiling mischievously.

The older boy raised an eyebrow, then smiled, opening his eyes to look at him. "Oh? What else did this really smart guy tell you?"

"I don't really remember." The younger teen waved it away carelessly. "I was too distracted by how hot he was t' really listen t' what he was sayin'."

The brunet smirked and leaned toward him. "Was he totally drool-worthy, puppy?"

"Oh, definitely. Don't be jealous, now!" Joey let out an 'eep' as the older boy hugged him closer and leaned down to nuzzle and nip his neck, growling playfully, then giggled softly. "Seto! Stop it! That tickles…!"

"Psh, you asked for it." Seto leaned back and smiled. "But you're such a cute puppy."

The blond blushed a little and looked away, then glanced back up at him. "We… we should go inside. Before Kankana gets mad again and comes back out t' get us."

The older boy grimaced. "Oh, God, no. After you."

"Scared of a big old puppy dog?" the blond teased, turning to go into the cave. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Yeah, but that big old puppy dog has a mean bite," the Dragon Master replied, wincing slightly. He still remembered the fight between the Minotaur and the inugami. Needless to say, he never wanted to see anything like it again.

Just as they were about to go inside, the ground shook (causing Joey to fall down), and anguished, furious roars reached their ears. They turned to look toward where the dragons lived in confusion. There had been more than one roar at the same time. Something had upset the dragons.

Kankana was out of Den like a shot, snarling over her shoulder for the Hell Hounds to watch the pups because only an idiot would try to go against a pack of dogs literally from Hell. And then she was gone, like a bolt of red lightning through the trees toward the dragon's valley.

Soumya was out next, not as fast as she was but definitely not walking. "That was Akai and his mates, and the Emperors. If I'm not mistaken, the rest of the dragons will start soon."

The two teens glanced at each other before Seto hooked his arms around the blond and took flight. This earned him a surprised yelp and arms around his neck nearly strangling him, but if he could get to the Blue-Eyes and their mate faster, he wasn't going to waste his time with running. And Soumya was right; soon the area was filled with loud, distressed roars of pain and horror.

When they flew over the valley, they found Akai, Kisara, Aoi, and Shira outside a den dug out of the side of the mountain, heads thrown back as they roared and whined. Genghis Khan had protectively wrapped around the small group of kits looking up at their parents in frightened confusion, keeping them together and safe. Pater had threaded his way through the group of four parents so he was touching each of them in some way, and that was probably the only thing keeping them from running around in a panic. They could also see Persephone's tail peeking out of the den, and they supposed she was in with the eggs that still had yet to hatch.

Landing in front of the dragons just as Kankana stumbled to a stop beside them (she tripped over herself and rolled a few feet, coming to a stunned halt next to Akai's tail), they looked up at the dragons in confusion. They wanted to say something, but were afraid that they'd upset the dragons even more. Luckily, they didn't have to.

Soumya looked up at them and raised a brow, then frowned and looked up at Pater. "What's wrong?"

Pater looked down at him and sighed. _**"Someone has stolen one of their kits. He looked like a Dragon Master, but he didn't feel like one. Then he took one of the kits and disappeared."**_

Joey gasped in horror as Seto let out an infuriated growl. "No way!"

"_Bastard!_"

The blond frowned as he heard a soft, weak, _"meee…"_ Only one dragon made that noise. Noticing a ruffle of leaves, he turned in confusion to look at the bush nearby, then gasped again and rushed forward. "Oh my God, Joy!"

At this, heads snapped to the side, just in time to see him catch the tiny red dragon as it began to flutter weakly, then fall to the ground. …Wait. Red?

Forget soothing sparks; his hands and the dragon clasped in them were engulfed in a bright golden light that had the tiny dragon squealing in pain, but his cries were drowned out by the blond's horror-struck screaming. "OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod!" Pulling the now fully healed Petit Dragon into a hug, he sobbed. "Oh my God, Joy! What'd they do to you?"

"_Kah-eeeee…!"_ the little dragon whimpered, wings fluttering weakly. _"Kaaah-eeeeeee!"_

"Kah-ee?" Joey pulled him away from his chest in confusion, repeating the name in his head, before he gasped again. "Kaii! They took _Kaii!?_" When the tiny dragon nodded and whined, he let out a sob and fell to his knees, holding the tiny dragon close. "Oh, God! No! _No!_"

Seto pulled the blond into his arms and tucked his wings around him like a blanket, nuzzling his neck softly. "I'll get him back. I promise, puppy, I'll _get him back._"

Joey knew he meant it, and he most certainly _would_ get their hatchling back, but his mind was already making the connections. Gozaburo would work with Akuju as long as it benefited him. Akuju would be after _him_ until he had Mythaven under his thumb. That meant Akuju would be getting his hands on the poor, frightened little dragon. And he still hadn't forgotten what that evil man had done to a helpless little puppy.

So that could conceivably happen to his baby.

Joy squealed in pain as the blond's grip tightened around him and hurriedly wriggled out of the boy's hands, quickly flying to hide behind Genghis Khan and peek over at him cautiously.

The blond's hands tightened into fists, and he slammed them down on the ground angrily. "Bastard! _Bastard!_ I'll fucking _kill_ you!"

The Dragon Master leaned back and frowned, rubbing the younger boy's back as he punched the ground violently and wondering what Joey had done to _ever_ deserve this sort of pain. Surely he hadn't done something so horrible to merit any of this.

Kankana winced, then limped quickly toward the cave. "Everybody hit the deck!"

This only earned questioning stares from the dragons, until the Golden One let out a pulse of magic so strong that Seto was forced back, landing about six feet away, and all of the dragons were knocked off their feet.

Joey covered his face and began to sob even harder, so angry and frustrated he just absolutely wanted to _die._

Another pulse of magic nearly sent the dragons skidding away. As it was, Seto let out a grunt as he was thrown into Soumya, and both tumbled to the ground in a tangled, painful heap.

Akuju was going to hurt his baby, just to get him. And it was all because he'd mentioned Kaii when he was trying to calm Seto down. It was all his fault. All his fault. Akuju would—

Standing up suddenly, Joey let out an infuriated roar that could send chills down anyone's back—even the dragons. His eyes glowed a bright golden color, and it appeared as if a slight golden aura was forming around him. "Akuju! I don't know how, but I know you're watchin'! I'm gonna find ya and I'm gonna _KILL YA!_" he shouted, trembling with rage, as he accidentally loosed another wave of power. "I'm gonna kill ya _slow,_ too! Slowly and _painfully!_ I am _not_ an ex-thug for nothin'!" Letting loose one last wave of power, he turned and stormed away, golden aura growing brighter.

Seto growled and tried to stand, but his muscles were screaming in protest. Once he did get up, however, and stumbled in the general direction that his mate had gone in, he was intercepted by a decidedly _mean_ inugami. …At least that's what he thought she was currently.

Kankana frowned and stood in front of him, not even snarking that he was so weak currently that he had to grab onto her for support. "This must be something he does alone. Releasing power like that, he could accidentally kill you."

"I don't _care,_ damn it, just let me—" the brunet began, trying to go around her, but then he was stopped by her stern look. "…What?"

"You would really make him suffer knowing that his uncontrolled powers killed you?" she asked softly, narrowing her eyes, and was pleased to see the brunet turning his gaze away. "The best you can hope to do while he's like this, Seto, is to take care of that bastard Gozaburo." She frowned in frustration, a small whine escaping her throat. "I was gonna go down to Hell and torture him a bit after you guys were gone, too. Cerberus owes me."

"And you snarl at me. A pregnant inugami going down to Hell—humph!"

She scowled. "Shut up, Soumya."

Seto sighed, then winced as he stood up straight, without her help. "Fine. But if I kill Gozaburo before he kills Akuju, I'm not going to just wait for him. I'm going _to_ him."

The inugami waved a paw in dismissal. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. As long as you're happy, yada yada, all that shit. No, seriously, I don't care as long as you kill Gozaburo so that I can go do unspeakable things to him in Hell."

"…Because it's all about _you,_" the brunet hissed, scowling.

She raised a brow. "I will mock him and make him feel very, very small."

That seemed to placate the Dragon Master, as his face relaxed into a neutral expression, and he shrugged. "Make him feel more worthless than dirt and I promise I won't be angry."

"Yeah, yeah. The dirt beneath the dirt."

"_**I would like to come with you,"**_ Pater stated, leaning down to be face to face with the brunet.

Seto scowled again, crossing his arms. "Why?"

The dragon narrowed his eyes angrily. _**"Because Gozaburo is not a Dragon Master; he is impersonating one. And I imagine that he is crunchy-delicious."**_

Despite how creepy that statement should have been, the brunet could only think of it as poetic justice. Gozburo had stolen his kit, so he would be eaten by an Emperor. Served him right for pissing off the dragons and stealing _his_ baby. …He could only hope that he the other man _was_ crunchy-delicious. The thought of his step-father being eaten was somehow appealing to him.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Why yes, this chapter _is_ shorter than the others. …But not by much. Like five hundred words less. I just really wanted to get this chapter posted, and that seemed like a good place to stop. Well, a good place to me. **:**D Not for you guys, I'm sure. I'll respond to all of your reviews (last chapter's and this chapter's) later. I'm currently too lazy and nursing my wounds. My right wrist, my left bicep, and my left knee. I'm _deeeeeeead._ XP


	26. Chapter 25

Author's Notes: So there _is_ a method behind my madness. I'm sure some of you have noticed and participated in my poll about m-preg on my author's page. Well, I'm closing it, and putting another poll in its place, so you should go check out the new one; you control the fate of Joey and Seto—and, ultimately, Mythaven! Well, really, I'd find a different way to make it work if enough of you disagree, but I digress.

So far, eighty percent of you have either said you love it or you don't care, as long as the story still makes sense. Only eighteen percent of you have absolutely said that you hate it. Where'd that other two percent go? I don't really understand it myself, but it makes no difference. But, since only seventeen percent of you have said you hate it, I can for certain promise that m-preg will be _mentioned._

Mythaven

_Recap:_

"_**I would like to come with you,"**__ Pater stated, leaning down to be face to face with the brunet._

_Seto scowled again, crossing his arms. "Why?"_

_The dragon narrowed his eyes angrily. __**"Because Gozaburo is not a Dragon Master; he is impersonating one. And I imagine that he is crunchy-delicious."**_

_Despite how creepy that statement should have been, the brunet could only think of it as poetic justice. Gozburo had stolen his kit, so he would be eaten by an Emperor. Served him right for pissing off the dragons and stealing __**his**__ baby. …He could only hope that he the other man __**was**__ crunchy-delicious. The thought of his step-father being eaten was somehow appealing to him._

Chapter 25

Joey had no idea where he was going, but he was certain he was going in the right direction. He wasn't quite sure how he knew, but he did. And he was also certain that he was going to _kill_ Akuju.

He was vaguely aware of some sort of creature flitting along near him, but he wasn't too bothered about it, until it started getting closer to him. It was large, and black, and had blazing yellow-orange-red eyes that flickered brightly. Stopping, he turned toward it sharply, eyes narrowing. "Who are you!?"

The hulking creature paused, then stepped out from behind the brush separating them. It was a very large, very angry looking wolf, and the blond realized that the reason its eyes seemed to change color was because its eyes appeared to be globes of hot fire with dark coals for pupils. This… was definitely not a Hell Hound.

The wolf dipped its head, and in a deep, gravelly voice, answered, "My name is _Fenrir [1]_. I mean you no harm, Golden One; I have no certain allegiance with you or your brethren, but I mean you no harm."

A wolf that wasn't on his side? Joey found that he didn't feel so sure of himself all of a sudden. "…Oh."

The wolf—he decided it was a _male_—smiled at that, fiery eyes glowing with amused warmth. "It is not because I am loyal to someone else; I merely despise social gatherings. And yes, I realize that wolves are social creatures. The irony has not been lost on me."

"So… ya won't hurt me?" The blond found himself relaxing, suddenly feeling more comfortable around the wolf now that he realized he wouldn't be hurt. He was merely a little confused now. "Why not pledge allegiance but not come t' the meetin's?"

Fenrir raised a brow, smiling wryly. "That is not how it works in Den, Joseph. And no, I will not call you 'Joey.' I am older than even Nenne; one of the oldest creatures here. I shall call you by your given name or 'pup.'" He turned his head to glance at him out of the corner of his eye, a decidedly roguish look in his eye. "Because that is what you are. You are a pup."

Joey frowned in confusion. "What do ya mean, that's not how it works in Den?"

"I dislike gathering for anything other than news necessary to me, which I can just get from my sons, and I do not like dealing with pups these days." He frowned. "So impertinent. I do not have the patience. Since I receive all of the information I need from my sons, I do not find it necessary to step inside Den." He turned back to face the boy and smiled again. "But I am available to you when you ascend to Nest. I have found I am much more agreeable when at higher altitudes."

"Oh." The blond hesitated, then turned to face forward again, giving the wolf one last glance as it began to slink back into the brush. "Um… Why were ya followin' me?"

"I have come to collect Akuju's soul to drag him back down to the underworld; down to Hell." Fenrir's eyes darkened with pain. "It is my fault he escaped, and I apologize for all of the pain he has caused you. I left my sons in charge as I left to take a break. I rarely take one; about once every hundred years." Seeing the blond's questioning gaze, he smiled despite the grievous information. "I do so adore torturing the inhabitants that I guard. After all… they must do something absolutely horrible to deserve being sent to be under _my_ watch."

The boy tilted his head, blinking innocently. "What do ya mean?"

"I guard the deepest bowels of _Hell,_ Joseph. This is by far my smallest form." The wolf smirked. "All of the people and creatures down there deserve any and all pain and anguish I decide to dish out. Unfortunately, when I left, Akuju overwhelmed my pups and escaped." His eyes darkened again as his head dipped, smirk gone again. "They were nearly mutilated. He spared them no pity. I have come to collect his soul and drag it back down to Hell, where I will inflict upon him all of the pain he inflicted on my sons and me."

Joey frowned. Now he truly didn't understand. "But… Fenrir… Why are ya followin' _me_ then? Can't ya just go ahead and…?"

"He is too powerful for me to kill. I have been waiting for someone to do so for me, so that I can capture his soul. Souls are much easier to deal with." He snorted. "So I will watch, and wait, and when I get my chance, I shall rip the soul from his body. Then, I shall continue on to collect another soul—that one should be easier. I believe it will be trapped inside a dragon's stomach." Seeing the confusion in the blond's eyes again, the wolf smiled. "He is impersonating a Dragon Master. Dragons find this offensive. Pater is old, even if he does not seem so; we grew up together. Because of all the human lore of dragons eating humans, he has always wondered whether they are as 'crunchy-delicious' as they have made themselves out to be. I do not think he will pass up the chance to eat Seto's step-father."

The blond's eyes widened. "Nuh-uh!"

Fenrir turned to slink back into the brush. "Just remember something, Joseph. Pater is just as old as I am, and has seen many Golden Ones. Not all of them have been as good as others. He has been hurt. Thus, he is distrustful of all but Dragon Masters, and protective of them. There is a reason for everything." And he disappeared into the brush. "Though I must say, I am not looking forward to Kankana visiting once I get them locked away again. I would not be surprised if she tried to bring that stupid kirin along with her, even after I have informed _both_ of them that he is not allowed there."

Despite himself, Joey began to laugh.

-x-x-x-

Seto decided that Pater wasn't necessarily so bad. He _also_ decided that even though dragons were big and bulky, they were still impressively quiet. Pater had been walking along beside him, sniffing out the 'Imitation of the Real Thing,' making nary a sound. He was very upset with this 'Gozaburo.' However, he still hadn't quite forgiven the dragon for saying such mean things about his mate—

"_**I was hurt once,"**_ the dragon stated suddenly, nearly making him jump.

Looking up at him, the brunet raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"_**You realize that unicorns are under dragon protection?"**_ He looked down at the human, eyes suddenly looking old and very tired.

Seto blinked in surprise, then shook his head. No, he hadn't realized that. "Why?" He failed to see what this had to do with his earlier statement, but he'd been raised to be patient when gathering information.

"_**They're so beautiful and wanted by all that they need the extra protection from dragons, who are just as susceptible to death as they are but have much more protection."**_ He sighed sadly, wings drooping. _**"We protect them, and in return, they will heal us."**_

"I see. That seems like a fair trade," the human stated, nodding. "You both get something you need."

"_**Unicorns also make good company. They're good conversationalists. They're one of the only other creatures that know everything, and it's nice to have someone to speak with."**_ Pater brought his wings up again, straightening himself, eyes glinting with pain and anger. _**"One of the Golden Ones killed my closest friend, all because she wanted his horn; the touch of a unicorn's horn can heal any corporeal wound. She believed dragons wouldn't hurt her in revenge because she was still training her successor. She was wrong."**_ His eyes narrowed. _**"All of the Golden Ones have been little fools. She was one of the worst."**_

Seto frowned in confusion. "All of them have been little fools? What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"_**I mean no disrespect."**_ The dragon sighed tiredly, then looked back down at him. _**"Sometimes, being a fool isn't a bad thing. Some believe it's a defense mechanism against being hurt. But all of the Golden Ones have been little fools. Caring little fools, but fools just the same."**_ His eyes darkened in pain. _**"They don't realize they're being hurt until it's too late, and then they disallow it to happen again. It's their defense, and usually their offense as well."**_

"…And that's why a Golden One's mate has to be able to take care of them," the brunet stated thoughtfully. "Because if someone's taking care of them, it usually means that that person won't hurt them."

The dragon nodded, a sad, pitying look on his face. _**"Clever little fools, neh?"**_

"…Yeah. Clever little fools," the human replied thoughtfully.

There was a few minutes of silence before Pater asked, _**"So, when do you and the Golden One plan on having kits?"**_

Seto jerked around to face him, tripped over a root, and fell down, letting out a muffled curse. "!!! What do you mean, when do we plan on having kits?!" he exclaimed, once he'd righted himself into a sitting position.

The dragon raised a brow. _**"Well, the Golden One **__does__** need a direct descendent of the opposite gender. It can't be a niece or nephew, or a cousin. …And I doubt you'll allow him to mate with someone else just for children. So when are the two of you planning on having kits?"**_

The brunet blinked at him for a few minutes silently, then sighed and crossed his arms. "You realize that both of us are males, right? There's just no way—"

"_**If the Golden One can give a frank a female reproductive system, he can give himself one. …Or **__you__** one, but I think Joseph would look much prettier with his stomach swollen with child."**_

Seto tilted his head at the thought, blushing a little as his mind came up with the picture of a pregnant Joey. It would be sort of… cute, seeing Joey pregnant. He then flinched when he realized just how much pain he might be put through if he ever suggested such a thing to the blond. "We'll… have to discuss it."

Pater smirked. _**"Meaning that you'll mention it then run far, **__far__** away. Kudos, Seto. You're learning what it truly means to be the sire."**_ He snorted, unable to help his amusement. _**"You may be the disciplinarian, but really, the dame is the quickest to anger."**_

"Shut up! Maybe I won't let you eat Gozaburo after all!" the brunet exclaimed, blushing again. He knew it was true; Joey was quicker to anger than he was and was more physical about it. …He'd deal with that later, when they came to it.

The dragon jumped slightly as the Dragon Master was suddenly thrown forward into his leg with a sickening crunch, body still crackling with electricity, then turned his head and roared at the perpetrator. _**"Coward!"**_

Gozaburo smirked, ribbons of electricity still dancing around his hands. "It's not my fault the faggot's gone soft and has decided to stop paying attention to watch behind his back."

As Seto stood, the dragon snarled. _**"I'll kill you! Can I eat him yet?"**_ he asked, looking down at the brunet.

The teen growled and stood up straight from leaning against the dragon for support. "I wanna hurt him first. You can have him when I'm finished. …Or when I'm losing, either way."

Pater snorted in annoyance but nodded just the same. _**"Fine. Then we'll see if humans are as crunchy-delicious as they make themselves out to be!"**_

Seto felt confident that he'd win this. He couldn't lose either way; either he would win the fight and Pater would eat Gozaburo, or Gozaburo would win the fight and Pater would eat him anyway. He appeared dead-set on finding out of humans were 'crunchy-delicious.'

"Where'd you take Kaii?" the brunet asked sharply, turning his attention to his step-father.

The other man's smirk grew. "You mean that stupid baby dragon? I've taken him to the other brat." He threw his head back in an evil cackle, causing the other two to flinch at the menace and ill-intent. "You should have heard that dragon scream when the brat ripped his first scale out!"

Seto let out an infuriated roar, eyes glowing brightly as he folded his wings back and ran forward, mindless of the electricity striking him. This man had hurt his _baby._

-x-x-x-

Joey let out a weak cry of agony as he felt a shot of pain go through his chest with each heart beat; seconds later, the pain was gone, leaving him with just a dull ache. Clutching his chest in confusion, he stopped walking, terrified it would happen again. It did—not more than two minutes later, another few thumps of pain shot through his chest like lightning, making him cry out again. "What's happenin' t' me-?!"

"It's called 'motherly instincts.'"

Jumping, the blond yipped, then turned around quickly, only to find a very smug, mean-looking owl peering at him from the branch of a tree. "What the hell are you?!"

"I am a _strix [2]_. …An owl, basically, that eats carrion." She hopped forward a few branches to be able see him better. "And usually I don't care what happens to other creatures, but I can see that you are the Golden One and I just can't let a new mother suffer when you're obviously so confused and upset."

The human blinked up at the small owl, confused. "Motherly instincts?"

"Your bond, with the child. The child is being hurt, and therefore you feel that hurt, so you feel a greater need to get to the child." The strix nodded slightly when she saw the fire of rage light up the blond's eyes. "Yes, like that. …And… where are you trying to go again?"

"I'm lookin' for that bastard Akuju!" Joey snapped, crossing his arms. The only thing keeping him in place was the thought that maybe this creature could help him.

At that, the owl let out a startled screech, then narrowed her eyes. "I see. He's got your child. I'll show you then." Sighing, she turned to glare into the hollow of the tree she was sitting in. "Stay here or I'll come back and eat your bones." She was answered by soft, short squawks of complaint, in which she let out another screech—a warning one, this time. "_Stay in your room!_"

Joey could have sworn he heard a bunch of small voices complain 'aw, mom,' but he didn't comment on it. Instead, he obediently trotted after her as she took flight.

-x-x-x-

"_**I believe humans have given themselves too much credit. They taste terribly bland. Perhaps some soy sauce."**_ He paused. _**"I will admit, though. They are indeed very crunchy. Not crunchy-delicious, though. …More like crunchy-blah."**_

Seto groaned and rest a hand on his stomach, eye twitching slightly. "Please stop picking your teeth in front of me." When the dragon merely shot him a dirty look, he groaned again and bent down at the waist, covering his stomach. "Mm, that was so gross…" He winced as he heard Pater slurp, claws still picking at his teeth, and tried to think of what had led up to this moment, instead of what was actually happening, because it appeared that he didn't have a strong stomach when it came to dragons eating people.

The fight with Gozaburo had started out easily enough. Knowing he'd had the upper hand physically, because he was younger and had was more used to his dragon wings and tail—he could see the old man was still having a few problems with it—he dashed at him and tackled him to the ground, only to get a face-full of fire. Stunned, he'd fallen back, allowing his step-father to get the upper hand and throw him to the ground, electrocuting him until he stopped twitching.

He had gone blank for a few minutes after that, feeling as if he was still frying from the inside, but when he finally came back to himself, he could see the man had smashed into a tree—scratch that, _through _the tree. He'd snapped it in half, and the top part had fallen to the side, nearly crushing him.

Apparently, Pater had gotten upset that his favored Dragon Master was being totally owned, so he'd casually slapped the man away from him.

Seto had never been one to spurn help when he could tell he needed it, so he took the time Gozaburo needed to get back on his feet to form a ball of electricity to rival his step-father's seemingly natural power (which pissed him off to no end). Once the man had gotten to his feet, he threw it, sending him back into another tree. Luckily, this one didn't break, and Seto was pleased to find that the creatures of Mythaven were on his side when a few _thunderbirds [3]_ let out startled screeches and began spitting lightning at him. …One even turned and lifted its tail to poop on him.

He liked that bird.

Gozaburo snarled at the birds, hands crackling with electricity again, and Seto found himself terrified for the birds, even though they really didn't know him. So, instead of leaving them to be fried, he set his step-father's mustache on fire. He'd been aiming for his head, but… mustache was close enough.

When the man saw how desperate he was to save the birds, he smirked and reached up to grab one, the other hand batting out the fire on his face; he seemed surprisingly unalarmed for someone who had just had their mustache lit _aflame!_ It let out a startled squawk, flaring with electricity, and began flapping frantically. The other thunderbirds began to cry out and began flapping around, spitting tiny balls of lightning at him again, furiously trying to defend their friend.

Seto knew there was nothing he could do, so he just watched helplessly as the bird began to squeal in pain.

Pater snarled and slapped him with his tail again. There was a burst of feathers, and then the thunderbird was hurriedly flapping away, and the tiny flock of five flew as fast as they could _away._ Then, the dragon let out an infuriated roar, and the brunet had watched in horror as the dragon dipped his head and _snapped the man up._

He hadn't thought he'd care so much. He had thought he _wanted_ the old man dead. But when the man had screamed and disappeared between those big, glistening white teeth, and the white had suddenly been stained with red, all he could do was turn and heave all the contents of his stomach out.

His stomach was still churning.

Pater coughed momentarily, then spat out a bone. After cleaning his teeth a few seconds longer, he looked down at the brunet and smiled, exposing once again shiny white teeth. _**"Shall we go then?"**_

Seto stared up at him in horror, then turned and heaved again. _"Blorcgh!"_

-x-x-x-

Joey stared up at the black, spiky castle in awe. Something so evil and ugly shouldn't have been in someplace so beautiful. It pierced the sky with pointy spires and made the whole scene so hideous it could probably induce shivers from the Devil himself.

The strix looked entirely unperturbed. Preening herself for a moment, she lifted her head and looked at him from on his shoulder. She fluffed her feathers affectionately and preened _him_ for a moment, then took flight. "I guess we'll see you soon. Try not to be a sex slave when that happens!"

The blond turned to watch her go sourly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"They are so often seen as bringers of ill omen that they refuse to believe in luck," Fenrir stated, slinking out from behind some bushes. "And they refuse to delude themselves. They know there is a possibility that you could lose; they will not hide that fact from you, either. They believe they are saying it for your own good." He offered a crooked smile. "She wishes you well in your plight. That in itself is saying something."

Joey crossed his arms and huffed, only to suddenly clutch at his chest and let out a small cry of pain. "Nn-! Kaii!" He looked up at the big, black cast-iron doors and bit his bottom lip, tears of pain welling up in his eyes. "…Kaii…"

Fenrir scowled, then let out an infuriated roar and ran at the door, growing in size with each step before he crashed into the metal, making the metal bend and buckle, and the hinges screeched and groaned in protest. He took a few steps back, then slammed into the door again, wrenching it open a few feet. He retreated a bit more for another lunge.

"Joseph, you can squeeze through there. Go ahead to your kit; I will follow once I have gotten to doors open wide enough for me." His eyes flared brighter with angry flames. "Hurry! Before he hurts your child even more!"

The blond didn't need to be told twice; slipping through the small space between the doors, he ran into the castle and sensed around for Kaii. He wasn't too far away, so he ran toward the stairs, hoping desperately that his baby wasn't hurt too badly.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] Fenrir is a monstrous wolf from Norse mythology. He is a son of Loki, one of the Norse gods, and is the father of the wolves Sköll (who chases the sun, trying to eat it) and his brother Hati Hróõvitnisson (who chases the moon to try and eat it), and is foretold to break from his bonds and eat Odin during the events of Ragnarök.

If you want to know anything other than the basics, you may look on wikipedia. I checked, and it's surprisingly accurate.

[2] A strix is a bird of ill-omen from ancient Roman mythology. They're usually described as nocturnal and that they usually feed on human flesh and blood. They're a rather morbid creature. The name is Greek in origin, though, and it means owl, which the bird is usually identified with.

[3] Thunderbirds are usually very large (wikipedia if you don't know what a thunderbird is; I would hope, however, that you do), but I decided it would be cute if a bunch of tiny little birds tried to help Seto. …Especially if one pooped on him.

And Next Chapter: Joey faces off with Akuju as Seto tries to make his way to the castle to help! Will he make it in time? Will Joey be okay when he gets there? Will Joey win the fight? Tune in next time!

Dude, I totally didn't mean to sound like one of those TV announcer guys. *dies*


	27. Chapter 26

Author's Note: I just gotta say this. I don't mind if you guys make fan art of this story. In fact, I'm flattered that you'd ask! **:**) That makes me feel all warm and snuggly inside. All that I ask is that you somehow put that your drawing is based on my story. Oh, and send me the links. XD Because I wanna see them. They're based on my story, so I have the right to see them, right? (*cough*That and I suck at drawing*cough*)

Anyway! Onto parts about the story. The fight with Akuju is so… anticlimactic. But I couldn't really think of another way to end it, other than the way I had. I'm so very disappointed in myself. However, I think the very last part makes up for it. However, if it doesn't, please forgive me! D**:**

P.S.: How pissed would you guys be if I killed Joy? Because seriously, I thought about it. I almost did it, too, but he's just too cute to kill off. So be glad for his cuteness!

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Fenrir scowled, then let out an infuriated roar and ran at the door, growing in size with each step before he crashed into the metal, making the metal bend and buckle, and the hinges screeched and groaned in protest. He took a few steps back, then slammed into the door again, wrenching it open a few feet. He retreated a bit more for another lunge._

"_Joseph, you can squeeze through there. Go ahead to your kit; I will follow once I have gotten to doors open wide enough for me." His eyes flared brighter with angry flames. "Hurry! Before he hurts your child even more!"_

_The blond didn't need to be told twice; slipping through the small space between the doors, he ran into the castle and sensed around for Kaii. He wasn't too far away, so he ran toward the stairs, hoping desperately that his baby wasn't hurt too badly._

Chapter 26

Joey heard Kaii long before he saw him. His baby was squealing and crying, crying out desperately for his mother and father. Well, Seto wasn't here, but he could damn well take care of him himself!

Throwing the large doors open, the blond could only gasp in horror as big, wet ruby eyes turned on him. Surrounding the tiny kit were dozens of black, bloody scales and various knives, each blade splattered with blood. The kit mewled and tried to waddle over to him, but his legs were too weak, so he merely fell flat on his face and began to squeal in agony and despair; he couldn't get to his mother to be cuddled and comforted!

Seeing the kit begin to cry desolate tears, Joey darted forward and scooped the dragon into his arms, cooing soothingly. "Oh, baby, it's okay. Mama's here now. Nothin' else is gonna happen to ya. Mama's gonna protect ya now."

Kaii mewled and snuggled up to him, whining loudly when his mother began to lean back. Why was his mama being so mean, not hugging him when he needed to be hugged!?

Joey didn't know much about healing dragons. In fact, he didn't know anything at all, other than when he'd healed Joy, Joy had been in pain. But his baby had been through enough pain, so he'd take the time and concentration to heal him slowly. Sitting down on the floor, he let his fingers trail over each and every hole in the baby dragon's black armor.

The kit whimpered and bleated pathetically but handled the healing well, only whining a little when each of his new scales came in. He knew enough about his body to know that his second set of scales wasn't supposed to come in yet. In fact, those scales wouldn't have come in for about a hundred and fifty years. But, these scales were tougher, stronger, and harder to pull out, so he supposed he was okay with having these new scales if men were going to keep taking him and yanking them out. He just knew he was going to have scarring, though—these scales would always be a bit duller than the ones that came in later, because they'd be older and would have more exposure to the elements.

Joey gasped in horror when he finished healing one of his baby's sides. The bastard had ripped out just enough scales to form an 'A' on his side. His baby would always carry a piece of the bastard with him! Checking on the other side, he realized no scales had been pulled out there. Akuju had done this on _purpose._

White hot fury like none he'd ever felt before began to develop in the pit of his stomach, soon spreading out to the rest of his body. Icy hot anger began to flow to each vein, filling him with a rage that he had only felt before when protecting his little sister. He snarled angrily and pulled the smaller form to him in a hug.

Then there was an explosion to the back of his head, and he clung tighter to the baby dragon as he was sent flying. Kaii squealed in terror and huddled closer as they skidded across the ground. Joey snarled again and rubbed the back of his head roughly, turning to glare in the direction they'd come from.

Akuju raised an eyebrow, looking vaguely surprised. "Hmm, I was expecting that to knock you out."

"Didn't hit me near hard enough!" the blond snarled, standing up. He gave Kaii a pat on the head. "Mommy's gonna go kick this guy's ass, sweetie. Just stay here until I've finished wiping the floor with him, okay?"

Kaii mewled worriedly. For some reason, he just _knew_ his papa was gonna get mad when he heard that his mama had faced off with this man alone. But what was he supposed to do? He was certain that if he waddled after his mother, he'd only get scolded.

Joey growled and narrowed his eyes at the man, nearly trembling he was so angry. "What'd ya do t' my _baby,_ ya monster!?"

"Tch. I would _think_ it would be obvious." Akuju smirked and crossed his arms. "I scarred him for life. Now that he's learned to fear me, disciplining him should go so much easier, don't you think?"

The blond tilted his head, confused by this. Why would the bastard ever think he needed to discipline _his_ baby? "What the hell ya 3alking' about?"

The dark-haired man shrugged flippantly. "Well, with me as his new papa, he's got to learn who—"

"Whatta ya mean, you're his new papa?!" the teen snarled, growing angry again. "Seto's his papa! Ya can't just—"

"Did you really think that your lover would come out of an altercation with his step-father alive?" Akuju cut in, raising an eyebrow. "Because I can assure right now, either your lover is dead and his step-father is kicking his dead body, or both of them are dead. I made sure that Gozaburo would be more powerful than he was."

He expected the blond to give up, to crumple in despair and fall to his knees. He'd feel so lost and alone that claiming him would be easy, and taking over Mythaven even easier. He hadn't expected a bone-chilling snarl that could strike fear into even _his_ black and shriveled heart.

Joey growled loudly, eyes beginning to glow with the intensity of his fury. "You _bastard._ You cruel, manipulative, _evil_ _BASTARD!_" he shouted, sending out a surge of magic powerful enough to shake the entire castle. The golden aura around him began to glow brighter, seeming to shape itself into something above him. "Ya hurt me, and that was okay, because I've been hurt before. But then ya hurt my lover—" Even angry, he still blushed a little at calling Seto his lover. "—And that _really_ pissed me off. But now. _Now_ you've _really_ taken the cake. Because ya hurt my _baby._"

The golden aura above him twisted, letting out a roar-like bark, and seemed to form the front paws of some awesome canine. The top—where a head could be suspected—began twisting and curling wildly.

The blond was getting so angry he couldn't even see straight, and he didn't realize that his eyes had been covered by an iridescent golden coloring—but that didn't matter, because he wasn't finished yet. "Ya hurt my _baby,_ scarred him. He'll never be able t' forget what happened to him. Every time he sees the scales on his side, he'll remember how he was hurt and how his mama and papa failed him." At this, he began to tremble again, shame pouring more fuel onto his fire of anger. "And every time _I_ look at it, I'll remember that everything that's happened here—_everything—_is _all. Your. FAULT!_"

The golden aura's head finally formed, a golden wolf letting out a howl of fury and anguish for all of those that had died and all of those that had suffered at this man's hands. Letting out another roar-like bark, it surged forward toward the man that had caused him all of this pain.

Akuju knew there was nowhere to run, but he wasn't too worried. The Golden One hadn't had near enough time to train his powers into something that could ever kill him completely. Covering his head, he let out a grunt as the wolf surged and rammed into him, sending him flying into a well and nearly embedding him in it. He groaned and tried to peel himself away from the wall, but then he realized in sudden horror that the wolf hadn't disappeared after the initial attack, like he'd expected it to; the blond had more power than he'd thought.

The wolf roared again, then turned into a bolt of white, fiery lightning aimed directly at the evil man—and he knew that he was going to hurt very badly.

Joey watched the magic strike his enemy in a mixture of wonder and awe, then watched the man stumble and fall, smoking from the heat he'd just been subjected to. The sparkles in the air of magic floated upward, getting smaller and smaller until they disappeared into the air completely. It felt… it felt a little anticlimactic to him, really, and he was a little disappointed that the man hadn't suffered more.

He really needn't have worried, because as soon as the magic had dissipated into the air, a large black monster had charged into the room, growling as he wildly looked around. Fenrir snarled in agitation before his eyes finally landed on the still form—still alive, but barely. Roaring, he charged toward him, grabbing him in his jaws to throw him at a wall. Then, deciding that any further punishment would be placed upon his soul, he placed one of his huge, heavy paws over Akuju's legs, grabbed his torso in his jaws, and yanked, ripping what had once been a powerful enemy in half.

Joey could see the dark soul slipping from the body, but then Fenrir had gobbled it up, let out another roar, and turned to go collect the other soul that had escaped. He wondered vaguely if souls could be digested; he imagined that stomach acid would really hurt.

But he didn't need to worry about that.

Turning, he smiled tiredly at his kit. "I'm… sorry I couldn't make him suffer more. I wanted to, but… I couldn't control it."

Kaii squealed, then began to purr; that had been so incredibly _awesome._ His mama had to be the most powerful person to walk Mythaven! Waddling over to his mother happily, the baby dragon felt his happiness and awe turn to horror as the blond's eyes suddenly rolled up and suddenly he was splayed out on the ground, silent and unmoving.

Screeching frantically, he made it to his mother's side and rested his front claws on his stomach, shaking him weakly as he bleated and cried desperately for him to wake up. And, when that didn't happen, he began to cry and laid his head out across his chest.

-x-x-x-

Kankana lifted an ear as she heard frantic yelps, and she realized that the other canines must have felt it too—the surge of power from the Golden One, the fury and rage. However, unlike the others, who were panicking and trying to decide whether or not to go and help him, she continued to lay there like a good dog, waiting for her Master to come back.

Soumya stepped into the den and frowned, brows furrowing together in confusion. "Did you not feel that?"

She nodded slowly. "I felt it."

"Then… shouldn't you go to him?" the kirin asked, hesitantly making his way over to lie next to her.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "We're ascending to Nest as soon as he returns. He's found control of his powers, whether he believes it or not—he's the first person to do such a great feat in so little time." Her brows furrowed together in frustration. "And I refuse to deal with a POGO."

"A… pogo?" The dragon-deer lifted his head to look down at her skeptically. "And just what is a 'pogo?'"

"A POGO—P-O-G-O. Pissed Off Golden One." She scowled. "Let someone else deal with the after affects. I've been doing this for years; someone else can suffer through it."

Soumya frowned at her disapprovingly. "Isn't it your _job_ to deal with it? You are, after all, his inugami."

"Well now I'm the Mother too!" she snarled, surging to her feet angrily. She turned to glare at him. "And you've gotten me pregnant! Why don't you just slap some other responsibility on me, huh?!" When she saw the kirin flinch at her tone, she sighed and turned away from him, timidly pawing the ground in front of her in shame. "I… I didn't want all of this responsibility on me all at once. It's just too hard. …Besides… the magic could hurt the babies," she added softly, and moments later the kirin was nuzzling her neck.

"Then we'll send for someone else to deal with it."

-x-x-x-

Seto ducked instinctively, just in time to dodge a streak of yellow. Turning, he found a frantic little dragon darting from place to place much like a hummingbird would. "Joy?"

The little dragon turned, eyes wide and horrified. _"Joy-ee! Joy-ee! Kah-ee!"_

Pater dipped his head to look at him skeptically, then reached out one of his claws. The Petit Dragon fell like rock onto his claw, panting frantically. _**"Take a moment to breathe, little one."**_

Joy did indeed take a moment to breathe—but only a moment, because then he was back in the air and zooming away. When he realized that the others weren't following him, he let out a shrill squeal. _"JOY-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

"…I think he wants us to follow him," Seto stated, then took off at a jog. He could tell that Joy had meant Joey and Kaii, but he had a bad feeling that he wasn't going to like what he found. He had to wonder, though… how had the Petit Dragon known where they were and why did it seem to know whenever they needed to be led somewhere?

Pater realized that Joy was upset. And of course, an upset Petit Dragon was never good; they were so small that if they were upset and moving too much, their tiny hearts might just pop. The best thing to do was to get where Joy wanted them to go as quickly as possible. So, in the small yellow dragon's best interest, he scooped the Dragon Master onto his back and took flight.

Joy seemed to appreciate this, because it allowed him to go at a much faster pace, instead of having to hover for the human to keep up with his meager jog. So he took off like a shot, leaving the larger dragon to struggle to keep up with him.

When they got to the large dark castle, Seto was nearly knocked from the dragon's back as something bashed into them—something large and black and sounded mean.

"_**If you want it I will **__give__** it to you!"**_ the dragon snapped, beating the giant canine away with his tail. _**"Impatient **__beast!__**"**_

The wolf snorted. _**"You shouldn't talk about yourself like that, Pat. So, was eating a human as 'crunchy-delicious' as you thought it might be?"**_

"_**They require soy sauce,"**_ Pater replied, then glanced back at Seto. _**"You will need to fly the rest of the way."**_

Seto hesitated before nodding and spreading his wings to fly after the tiny yellow dragon, which was currently going nuts next to a large window. "Joy?"

"_Joy-ee! Kah-ee!"_ the dragon exclaimed, horrified. _"Joy-eeeee!"_

The brunet nodded slightly, then covered his head and crashed through the window. He wondered vaguely how he had done this before and not realized it, because being cut by the shards of glass _hurt._ But then he was tumbling to the ground right next to a bloody pair of legs. He blinked at them before looking up as Joy went soaring past him.

The little dragon puttered out of energy just about the blond and hatchling, and fell with the sound of a crashing plane before he bounced off of Kaii's head and onto Joey's chest, where he laid panting and wheezing cutely.

Seeing his fallen mate and crying kit, Seto hurriedly made his way over to them, frowning. "Joey? Kaii?"

Kaii looked up at him, eyes filled with tears, before he opened his mouth and let out a bawling cry. His mother was hurt, but he couldn't tell how, and he didn't want his papa to be mad at him for allowing his mother to get hurt because of him—because he'd heard his mother say that he was most angry about the bad man hurting him, and scarring him for life.

Seto checked quickly for a pulse, and was relieved to find one; it was weak, but it was there. Pulling the blond into his arms, he looked at Kaii and sighed. "…This is going to be a problem." He frowned as Joy rolled off of the blond's chest with a weak squeal to land on Kaii's wing—which he'd held out hurriedly to catch him. "How am I going to do this. There's three of you and one of me." He sighed softly, then scowled, scooping the baby dragon upward onto the blond's lap. Then, he tucked Joy into the blond's shirt.

"…I'm gonna die," the brunet muttered, pulling Joey into his arms again. He took a deep breath. "Okay, just lift with our knees—that's what the health and gym teachers always say. …Except I don't think they were talking about lifting people and dragons." Taking another deep breath, he closed his eyes, then stood up, nearly tipping over. "OhmyGod you're heavy!"

Kaii cooed lovingly and curled up on his mother's stomach, laying his neck out along his chest so that his face was beside the blond's. Joy wiggled slightly, then wriggled his way up to rest over the boy's heart, finding comfort in the slow but steady beat.

Seto sighed, unable to help a smile at the cute sight, but then he scowled and looked back at his wings. "How the hell am I supposed to do this, huh?! You weigh a _ton!_"

"_**Are you calling your mate **__fat__**?"**_ Pater asked, leaning his head in the window and frowning. _**"I'm not sure, but I think it's universal that you're not supposed to call your mate fat—especially the dame."**_

The brunet turned to show the kit and tiny dragon resting out on the blond's body, scowling. "I might be able to carry Kaii and Joy, or Joey and Joy, but I can _not_ carry all three of them."

"_**Well Kaii isn't going to want to be away from either of you now, and I doubt you want to put your mate down."**_ The dragon frowned, then tilted his head a little. _**"You… might want to put him down. He's about to—"**_

Seto winced as the blond in his arms sent out a pulse of magic and nearly fell down. Kaii let out a squeal of alarm, and Joy squeaked, scandalized. "Ow-! Oh my God—_Ow!_ Why didn't you say something earlier?! It burns!"

Pater smiled. _**"That's soon followed by a pleasant tingly feeling."**_

The brunet sighed, glaring at him, but he couldn't deny that the burning was fading to a gentle buzz—the… pleasant tingly feeling. He hated when the emperor was right. He knew it wasn't necessarily logical to hate when that happened, since it so rarely had, but he just couldn't help it.

He supposed he should get over that.

Sighing, the emperor dragon leaned his head through the window. _**"Oh, get on. There will be a few more power surges, but I can handle them. And you'll get to feel the tinglies again."**_

Seto snorted in disdain but climbed on despite his annoyance. There was no way in hell his wings were strong enough to carry his weight, Joey's, _and_ Kaii's. Joy's weight was practically negligent compared to theirs. But Pater would get them back to Den faster, which they really needed.

-x-x-x-

The room was silent for a few minutes, still as a graveyard. Then, suddenly, the blood pooled around both of the fallen enemy's halves began to gather together, the viscous liquid forming a long black serpent that blinked its beady red eyes. Then, a few seconds later, it began to slither away, leaving a trail of shiny black liquid behind it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

LE GASP! Akuju wasn't the real bad guy? Some slimy blood-serpent was?! EGAD! Lawl, snakes are so ssssssssneaky. **:**p

And yes, I know this chapter is short. *gasp* But have I been making them very long lately? Nah. But I promise that the next chapter will be longer. …It's just gonna take me a while to post it.


	28. Chapter 27

Author's Note: Nrrrh… *dies* You guys need to go vote on my poll! For serious! I WANT YOUR OPINIONS!

Mythaven

_Recap:_

_Sighing, the emperor dragon leaned his head through the window. __**"Oh, get on. There will be a few more power surges, but I can handle them. And you'll get to feel the tinglies again."**_

_Seto snorted in disdain but climbed on despite his annoyance. There was no way in hell his wings were strong enough to carry his weight, Joey's, __**and**__ Kaii's. Joy's weight was practically negligent compared to theirs. But Pater would get them back to Den faster, which they really needed._

_-x-x-x-_

_The room was silent for a few minutes, still as a graveyard. Then, suddenly, the blood pooled around both of the fallen enemy's halves began to gather together, the viscous liquid forming a long black serpent that blinked its beady red eyes. Then, a few seconds later, it began to slither away, leaving a trail of shiny black liquid behind it._

Chapter 27

Seto ran his fingers over the larger, dark scales on his hatchling's side, frowning. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that the new scales might as well be considered scars. He figured that Joey would probably realize that, too, and feel absolutely horrible about it. Feeling the blond tremble in his arms from the cool air, he pulled him up to rest against his chest, leaving Kaii on his lap as he wrapped his wings around them.

Kaii looked up at his mother's face and cooed, lifting his head to hiss affectionately at him. The tips of his forked tongue just barely flicked against the blond's cheek, making him wince a little, then giggle softly.

The brunet leaned forward, watching the other boy's face hopefully for a sign of life—er, a sign that he might wake up soon. Joy squeaked in disappointment when he stopped stirring. The Dragon Master sighed and nuzzled his neck, sliding his hands up and down the blond's sides gently, though more for his own peace of mind; the Golden One was still warm and giving off his wonderful heat, so he must be okay. …And getting his hands on the blond's flesh while he couldn't be pushed away didn't hurt, either.

Beginning to softly kiss the blond's neck and shoulder, he ignored the smaller dragons' squeals of disgust and slid his hands under his mate's shirt, feeling for any injuries even though he was sure that all of the blood on his shirt was Kaii's. When this wasn't enough, he moaned softly and reached up to play with one of his fuzzy golden ear.

Joey whimpered softly, squirming a little, before scowling and elbowing the brunet in the stomach. "I _said_ not until you've taken me on a few dates, ya bastard!"

"Ngh-! Glad to see you awake," the Dragon Master grunted, wincing a little.

The blond sat up and looked over his shoulder to glare at him. "Jerk, just coppin' a feel while I'm unconscious! What would ya do if I fell asleep in a bed with ya!?"

Seto raised an eyebrow in surprise, then offered him a feral grin that made him regret asking. "Well you could probably expect to be woken up a little later with something up your—"

"Shut up!" He slapped the brunet's shoulders anxiously, blushing. "Jerk! I finally get t' see ya again and ya just try t' rape me!"

"You can't rape the willing, puppy."

"_You-!_ Pervert!" Hugging his hatchling quickly, Joey scowled at the brunet. "In front of the baby! And Joy! How could ya!?"

The Dragon Master smirked, then growled and pounced on him, making the dragons squeal in horror and Joey squeal in embarrassment. "Very easily!"

"Nyah-! No!" The blond wriggled wildly, still trying to keep one arm around Kaii while trying desperately to beat off the pervert molesting him. "I'm not willin', ya jerk!"

Seto sighed helplessly and released him. "Alright, but only if you say so."

The smaller boy glared at him, then huffed and turned to face forward, batting the brunet's wings out of the way. "Jerk face."

"Hmm, you're just embarrassed." The brunet smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek, then hurriedly ducked away so he wouldn't get smacked.

"_**If you two love birds have finished your spat, we've arrived."**_

Blushing, Joey slid down the dragon's side and landed on his feet, stumbled, then fell to the ground with a loud "EEP!"

Kaii squealed and nearly slapped his mother with his tail, and Joy let out an indignant, _"NYEE!"_

"…Graceful," Seto commented, before sliding to the ground as well. After a moment, he turned and helped the blond to his feet, then took Kaii from his arms. "I'll go take him to Akai and the girls. They're probably going out of their minds."

The blond released the baby dragon hesitantly, then leaned forward to press a few soft, loving kisses to the kit's head. "You be good for your brother!"

Kaii began to purr and smiled smugly as he glanced up at his father, tail swishing slightly as he hummed. Seto shot him a glare, this time only slightly jealous, then looked at the little yellow ball still stuck in his mate's shirt. "Are you coming, Joy? You're the one that watches Kaii, aren't you?"

"_Kah-ee!"_ Joy wriggled out of the blond's shirt—making him snort and hurry to help him, because it tickled—then flew over to land on the black dragon's head, cooing softly. _"Kah-ee…"_

Joey smiled and reached out to scratch behind the little dragon's ears. "You take good care of Kaii again, Joy. Akai and the girls are gonna have their claws full with their own kits, so I trust ya."

Joy's little chest puffed up with pride, and he squeaked an affirmative; he'd watch over Kaii with his life. Seto rolled his eyes but started walking away.

Joey waited until the brunet and dragons were out of sight before beginning to giggle. "Joy, you're so cute!"

"_**Petit Dragons usually are,"**_ Pater replied, then turned to fly back to his den. _**"Congratulations, Golden One."**_

The blond blinked and watched him go, frowning. But, he assumed he was talking about his win against Akuju. He blinked again as he heard something slapping against the ground, then turned, only to get a face full of golden-red fur as he was tackled to the ground. "…Ow."

Kankana nuzzled his chest adoringly, then stood up straight and smiled. "I'm so proud of you, Joey! You didn't need much help at all, did you?! You're a _natural!_"

"…A natural what?" Joey asked in confusion, brows furrowing together. "What are ya talkin' about, Kankana?"

She raised a brow and stepped back, allowing him to stand. "Your _powers,_ silly. You couldn't have beaten Akuju if couldn't control them. Am I wrong in assuming you didn't see them?"

The blond frowned, rubbing his arm self-consciously. "Well… I saw somethin'. It was like a wolf, made out of white lightning or something. It… it didn't really—"

"It wouldn't have made its appearance if it wasn't willing to let you take control." She smiled as he tilted his head. "See, you know you can't _really_ control your powers, because your magic is its very own entity. But it _allows_ you to be _in_ control, which means it's decided you're ready for it."

Joey tilted his head, looking adorable but so very confused. "Ya mean… my magic chooses when I'm ready? It had nothin' t' do with me practicin'?"

Kankana sat down. "Yes. Practicing helps, of course, because your magic realizes you're striving to be able to. However, it decides when you're ready; you don't."

"Oh. …But… I don't really understand. Why would it choose then?"

"Well…" She looked to the side nervously, then looked back at him bashfully. "Promise you won't get mad when I say this?"

The blond was certain he'd never seen her like this, and he decided he just couldn't be mad at her if she was _this_ nervous to tell him something. "Okay. I promise."

"…You've… sort of let everyone protect you. Seto, Soumya, myself, and many others. You've been unsure of yourself, and there's probably a lot of stuff in your past to cause yourself to be that way. But when you were fighting Akuju, you were sure of yourself, and sure of one thing—you wanted to _destroy_ him. You didn't care what you had to do; you just wanted him gone. You depended on no one but yourself and your ability to fight until you can't fight anymore. Your magic decided you were ready. Sometimes it takes Golden Ones years to earn that right."

"It's… because I depended on other people?" Joey asked softly, for some reason feeling a little hurt; Yugi had showed him it was okay to depend on people, especially friends.

Kankana let her gaze drift back to the ground, ears folding back slightly in shame. "…I am not the one who controls what the magic wants. I like protecting you. It's my job."

"…But not anyone else's." He reached up and combed his fingers through his bangs, hiding his eyes from view. "I see. So I'm not allowed to depend on anyone else."

"It's not my decision. Your powers were shaped by you; it took your weakness to make you strong." She sighed, then looked back up at him. "I'm not saying that depending on other people isn't necessary; however, when it comes to Mythaven, you shouldn't depend on anyone but yourself, me, or your mate. Even then, there are things that we can't help you with. It's for your own good."

Joey nodded slowly. "I see."

Kankana couldn't help it; she physically flinched at the sad, lonely tone the blond had used. Her master had been abandoned by his family and had found one here, only to find he couldn't depend on them like he felt he should. He felt betrayed. And it was all because she'd opened her big, fat mouth.

"…Joey, I… I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

The blond sighed quietly, then growled and threw himself forward, hugging her tightly. "It's not _fair!_"

Sighing as well, she lifted a paw to pat him on the back. "Life rarely ever is, Joey."

He wanted to be able to be angry with her, to wish she'd never opened her mouth and made him feel so hurt, but he realized that that in and of itself wouldn't be fair to her, either. She was just doing what she was asked to do many years ago—look after him. She'd tried to help him grow. And he knew that life hadn't exactly been easy on her, either; Nenne had died, leaving her as the new Mother, she'd been separated from him because she'd been forced to watch the pups, and she'd gotten pregnant, so she had to worry about that, too. Life had been unfair with her, too.

Despite his desperate want not to—apparently he wasn't allowed to _depend_ on anyone anymore—he began to cry a little. Not a lot, just… enough; enough to get all of his frustration and pain out without drawing too much attention to himself. Gripping the inugami's fur tightly, he sobbed, allowing each and every drop of anguish and stress to drip out and down his cheeks.

When Seto arrived back from dropping off the two dragons, he found Soumya pacing around a decidedly disagreeable inugami wrapped around a decidedly pouty Golden One. The dragon-deer looked very much put out by this. "…Joey?"

"Kankana says I can't go to Nest without my mate and since we had sex that means _you._"

The brunet didn't know why this was said with such disgust. "…Okay… Why are you angry with me?"

"Ya did really embarrasin' things t' me, ya pervert!" the younger boy snapped, scowling at him.

Seto blinked, then grinned in a decidedly feral manner. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"You'd put your tongue-! _NO!_" the blond roared, cheeks flushing a dark red.

"I'd love to shove my tongue up your—"

"_NOOOOOOOOO_ what you do in your private times is none of my business!" Kankana exclaimed, glaring at him. "You stupid dragons and your stupid fetishes!"

Soumya blinked, then offered his own less-than-innocent grin. "Well, as dragons, we have very long tongues. Is it our fault we like to use them?"

"Dwaaah—I can't believe you said that!" she shrieked, looking appalled, as Joey covered his ears and blushed even more. "Soumya!"

Seto raised an eyebrow innocently. "Well if you didn't react so strongly to it—"

"How is it my fault you don't like to speak about—"

"Shut _UP_ shut up shut up!" Joey shouted, waving his arms wildly to cut both of them off. "I don't wanna hear this! I don't need t' there this! No! I'll never forgive ya!" He scowled as he heard the brunet purring in satisfaction. "What are ya so smug about, ya bastard!?"

The brunet's purr grew louder. "It's been a while since you've reacted so strongly to something I've said. I've missed your feistiness. Now it's back, and I like it." He frowned when he saw a flash of pain across the other boy's face, purr dying immediately. "Puppy, what's wrong?"

Flinching a little at the abrupt end of the purr, the smaller teen bit his bottom lip and looked down at his feet. "…So ya didn't like me the way I was before? You… ya didn't like havin' me dependin' on ya?" He knew he wasn't supposed to be depending on anyone as much as he had been, but he felt a little hurt that Seto hadn't liked him when he was like that. He was… supposed to be able to depend on his mate, right?

Seto didn't know what was going on, but seeing the suddenly calculating look in the inugami's eyes let him know that it was important and may just well affect how close he'd be to his mate. "…I'm not sure I understand your question."

"Ya didn't… like… me. When I was bein' needy and… and weak." Joey fidgeted with the hem of his shirt anxiously, just waiting for the other boy to answer that he had hated it and hoped he could take care of himself from now on. He was prepared to be hurt. He'd been hurt before. Now would be no different.

Crossing his arms, the brunet took a moment to eye the other boy skeptically, silently pondering over his answer as he looked at him. "…I'm not going to lie to you, Joey. I'm not going to say that taking care of you was peaches and cream, but I'm also not going to say that it was horrible. I enjoyed taking care of you; I liked being the one caring for you, the one you trusted to keep you safe. I like knowing that you would trust me with your safety." He tilted his head, frowning, and narrowed his eyes. "But I enjoy a challenge every once and a while. You were one of the first people to ever stand up to me. I like that. So don't just _lie down and die_ anymore. I'll take care of you, but I like arguing with you, too."

"I-I don't just lie down and die!" the blond sputtered, glaring at him. "Mr. 'I-need-my-mate-submittin'-all-the-time!'"

"There's a difference between lying down and dying and submitting." The brunet smirked. "One, you look like a pussy. The other, you get a tongue down your throat as you're rammed against the nearest horizontal surface. Preferably in preparation of some hot making out and passionate love-making."

"_Kyaaa_ pervert!" Joey covered his face in embarrassment. "Oh, God, Kankana! Let's just go!"

Kankana narrowed her eyes at the other two males, looking quite annoyed and more than a little willing to hurt them as the blond hurriedly climbed onto her back. "Stupid perverts, the _lot_ of you. Not just males, either, the females just can't be sated. You must think _we're_ like that, but no, we're not. Sexually abusive lecherous _snakes._" Sniffing indignantly she turned, tail flipping upward as she stomped away with her nose in the air.

Soumya's ears lay back flat against his head as he glared after her, mumbling, "I should show you just how much of a sexually abusive, lecherous snake I am." When she merely huffed, he scowled and stalked after her, eyes narrowing. "Just shove your tail up out of the way and abuse you until you're squealing for mercy. We'll see how much you'd complain then. Dogs, I swear. They act like prudes until you use them a little. Then they turn into little sluts, demanding more and faster and harder. Like we're the only perverts around here."

"Well. I can honestly say that Joey's the most easily embarrassed dame I've ever seen," Seto muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Even in the middle of sex, he gets embarrassed."

"Yeah, that's pretty weird."

While the two sires were grumbling to each other about how _weird_ and _prude_ their mates were, the two dames (please note that here Kankana would snarl that she is not a dame and never call her that to her face) were mumbling about how _stupid_ and _perverted_ they were. …Though Kankana was decidedly more violent with her mutterings than her human charge.

Joey frowned and leaned his arms on her head, placing his chin on top of them as he thought about what he'd heard only a few moments ago. "…Kankana?"

"Yes, Joey?" she asked, glancing upward at his perplexed expression.

"…Was it just wishful thinkin' on my part, or… did Seto say 'passionate love-makin'?'" he questioned softly.

She blinked in surprise, then glanced up at him again. "He said that. Why?"

"…'cause… we've never said 'I love you' t' each other." The blond couldn't help a small, hopeful smile. "…And I think maybe he called me his lover when we finished havin'… When we finished matin'."

"You haven't told each other 'I love you!?'" Kankana exclaimed, jerking her head upward, only to let out a squawk as she tripped over a root and tumbled forward into a puddle of something. But it was green and sticky and not at all like it should be. "Blargh! Ack! Help! I'm stuck!"

"_Eeeep!_" Joey tried to stand up, to get some weight off of her, but the green stuff was like glue—each time he tried to move upward, it sucked him back down. "Gack-! _SETOOO!_"

Seto hummed and walked up behind them, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "What's this?"

"Help!" The blond reached out for him desperately. "Stuck!"

"Hmmm…" Narrowing his eyes, the older boy walked around the large puddle of sticky goo. "What is that?"

The blond whined helplessly, waving his arms at him. "I dunno just help me ooout!"

Sighing, the brunet rolled his eyes, then grabbed him around the waist and yanked him out. "Here we go."

"Ack!" Joey squeaked as he was yanked out of the goo with a slurping sound, then clung to him tightly. "It _burns!_"

Seto glanced down quickly, then looked up at the blond again quickly. "Really?" Seeing the tears of pain forming in the smaller boy's eyes, he immediately sank to his knees and ripped the ends of pants off. However, it didn't appear as if the blond had been badly hurt; he didn't even look as if he'd been hurt at all. "…Does it still burn?"

"…No," Joey admitted softly, frowning in confusion.

Soumya circled the puddle of goo anxiously, brows furrowed together in frustration as he tried to figure out how he could get his own mate out of the green yuck without getting stuck in it himself. "Is it hurting you, Kankana?"

"No, but I can't get out," she answered, whining softly as she wriggled around, trying to escape.

"_**BONZAAAAAAAAAAAAI!**_"

Kankana let out a grunt as something landed on her, then a squeal as whatever it was dug its claws in. Then suddenly she was being propelled upward and forward, out of the goo. She was free. And then she let out a pained 'oof' as she hit the ground again, the creature on top of her landed all of its weight on her, then leapt off of her and continued going.

"ByeKankanaseeyoulateryouowemesomethingtastyyy!"

The inugami blinked after the brownish green, then stood up, shook herself off and cleared her throat. "Well. I suppose now that that's over with, we can continue."

"What the hell was that!?" Joey shrieked, looking horrified.

"…That was… Spoofy." She grimaced at just saying it. "He's a… a griffin. A young one. Too much energy. He… circles the forest to try and burn it off."

Soumya frowned in disapproval, brows still furrowed together. "You owe him something tasty."

"Well, he owes me something shiny, so I suppose he'll get it when I get my Shiny," she replied, sniffing indignantly. "He's a horrible gambler." She frowned when the two humans raised eyebrows at her. "You do not need _cards_ to gamble. We call the game 'Goppers.'"

The kirin looked appalled. "You play _Goppers?!_"

Joey looked interested by this. "What's Goppers?"

"I'll teach you after we get you settled in to Nest," Kankana offered, smiling sweetly at him. "It's quite fun. And when you're good enough, you can gamble."

Seto growled softly in disapproval as the blond climbed onto her again and frowned, then crossed his arms and scowled. He knew that the younger boy gambled a lot—his Duel Monster's deck was full of gambling cards—but for some reason he didn't like the idea of his mate gambling.

"It's because sires like to be in control." Soumya narrowed his eyes. "If the dame is gambling, the sire isn't in control. Does 'Spoofy' know you're pregnant!?" he called after his mate, marching after the inugami as his ears curled back. "I hope he doesn't expect anything 'tasty' until _after_ you've given birth!"

"I'm not even over a week pregnant yet, ya jerk!"

Sighing, the brunet couldn't help a small smile. He supposed he was okay with his mate gambling, considering his obscene amount of good luck. And he supposed he wouldn't mind coming to Mythaven that often, because the strange but mystical creatures were all very interesting, from the elves to the dragons to the highly spazzed 'Spoofy.' He might even bring Mokuba—

'_Oh sweet mother of God, what kind of older brother am I!?'_

Joey blinked in surprise as he felt a surge of panic and shame from his mate, then turned to look back at the brunet in confusion. "…Seto?"

"I need to get home." Digging his hands into his hair in frustration, the older boy closed his eyes tightly and groaned. "I'm a horrible person—I left my brother alone for God knows how long, I have a company to run, I can't believe I just left everything behind and forgot about it-! All for _this_ crap-!"

The blond flinched and bit his bottom lip. He hated to admit it, but… he'd sort of forgotten about going home. But now he remembered everything and everyone they'd left behind, and he felt badly for that. …He felt even worse because it seemed as if Seto regretted everything that had happened in Mythaven—including him. He should have realized that whatever they had here… it wouldn't last back in the real world. They'd just go home and go their separate ways again, and they'd forget that they were ever close. Or… he'd try to forget while Seto did.

Gripping the inugami's fur tightly, Joey softly asked, "Are we almost there, Kankana?"

"Hmm? Yes. In fact, here comes the fun part." Grinning, the large dog walked up to the edge of the cliff they'd come to, then crouched, as if to pounce. Then, with a victorious cry of 'woohoo,' she leapt forward.

The blond screamed and clenched onto her tightly, squeezing his eyes shut. "_Aaahhhh!_" When he didn't feel her struggling or flailing, or… or doing much of anything, really, he hesitantly squinted his eyes open.

He was surprised to find that they were not, in fact, plummeting to their deaths. In fact, Kankana seemed to be having the best time rolling around in the air as they slowly but surely began to rise through the air. Glancing downward, he found that they were floating above a huge hole in the ground. Weird.

"…Kankana?" Hesitantly releasing her fur, he found that he floated just as well, and—oh, look, there was Soumya walking off the cliff and onto the air. So he supposed this was supposed to happen. "What's this?"

She began moving her legs as if she were swimming and turned to face him. "The Golden Ones made this when they first made Mythaven. See, creatures that can't fly need a way up to Nest _somehow._ They decided that this would be fun." She smiled brightly. "One of my favorite parts of bringing new Golden Ones to Nest is jumping into this thing! That was the most girlish scream I've heard in a while, even from the girls!"

"…Shut _up,_ I don't like fallin'!" Joey exclaimed, glaring at her as he blushed a little. He squeaked in surprise as something slid around his waist and looked down quickly. Then he was yanked back against a hard chest, so he looked up and found himself nearly drowning in icy seas. "…Seto?"

"You really do scream like a girl sometimes," the brunet stated, smirking.

The younger boy scowled at him and, before he could stop himself, exclaimed, "Jerk! At least I'm not playin' with someone else's heart!" He realized this was a very bad idea just after it had popped out of his mouth, and he cursed the fact that he often spoke before he thought about what he was saying when he found the older teen looking partially confused but mostly pissed off. "Um… I didn't mean… I…"

Seto growled softly, scowling, then sent a glance at the inugami watching them. "Kankana…"

She appeared to realize just what was happening, because she turned and began 'swimming' to put some distance between them. "Float away!"

Joey whimpered as the brunet tightened his grip on him and turned his head away quickly, biting his bottom lip. "S-Seto, I didn't… mean…"

"Explain," the older boy hissed, narrowing his eyes. "Whose heart am I playing with? I thought I'd made my position clear."

"I-!" Wincing a little as the brunet began to growl again, he closed his eyes tightly. "I-I just don't-! Ya haven't said _anything_ about what's gonna happen when we went back, except for ya orderin' me t' move in with ya-! I'm gonna move in with ya and then you're gonna get tired of me and kick me back out-!" He whimpered again and began to squirm. "I won't have anywhere t' go! I wouldn't be able to go back t' my dad's and none of my friends can take me! They don't have enough room! I… I…!"

Any other complaints he would have made were smothered as Seto dipped his head to crush their mouths together. The blond whimpered as the older boy's hand slid up his shirt and tried to grab it, but he was too distracted by the tongue delving into his mouth and immediately forcing his into submission. This was soon followed by a mewl, then a frustrated growl.

Seto broke the kiss and buried his face in the blond's neck, sighing in irritation. "…You make _everything_ so _difficult,_ mutt!"

Joey winced again, then looked down at his hands. "…'m sorry."

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for, just… You picked a horrible person to get involved with, Joey."

"_Me?!_" The blond looked up at him, appalled both at the thought that the older boy thought of himself as horrible and that he was implying it was all _his_ fault. "What the hell-!"

"You need things laid out for you to understand them and I… I'm very bad at that," the brunet continued, frowning. "Usually I just assume the people around me will figure it out. I'd forgotten that you were so… needy."

Scowling, the younger boy growled and tried to struggle out of his arms. "I'm _not_ needy! Just watch me-!"

"Mmn…" Growling again unconsciously, Seto leaned in to nibble on his ear. "That's not what I meant, puppy. See? This is what I'm talking about. I mean emotionally. You're very emotionally needy. And don't say you're not, because…" At this, he began placing soft, fluttering kisses along the blond's neck. "…You're like a puppy, always looking for affection and approval. Mokuba continuously points out that I seriously _lack_ at showing both. It was stupid of me to get involved with you…" Sighing, he leaned his forehead on the blond's shoulder. "But I can't help it now; I like you too much to stay away from you now."

Joey frowned in confusion, then began squirming again. "S-Seto—"

"That means you're stuck with me from now on," Seto added softly, then smirked when he realized that the blond had not yet dislodged his hand from under his shirt.

"_Nyu!_" Squealing in embarrassment, the blond flailed wildly when the older boy caught one of his nipples and gave it a small twist. "What the hell!? No! Leggo! _I refuse!_"

The brunet began to purr in satisfaction and continued to molest his mate. "Mm, but you're so _cute…_"

"I'll _kill you— _Eep!" The younger boy blushed as the Dragon Master's other hand slid down his to his crotch and gave it a squeeze and began to struggle with more fury. "What the hell-! I said a few dates, ya pervert!"

"I can't help it," the brunet cooed, still smirking. "When you're looking at me with those big, innocent eyes, all I want to do is make you get that expression you had in the middle of sex. Remember? When I shoved my tongue—"

"_NOOOOOOOOO!_" Joey began flailing wildly, horrified, and let out a gasp of relief as the brunet finally released him, hurriedly making his way _away_ from him. "Nononono!"

Seto purred and offered him a sweet smile, then settled himself for the rest of the trip upward, imagining more ways of embarrassing and pleasing his pup later. Besides, he had a few dates to plan if he ever expected sex again.

-x-x-x-

Nest… wasn't really that different from a temple, actually. In fact, it was like a smaller version of Suzaku's temple on a large floating island. However, inside the temple was a different matter; it had a large entry hall, which branched off into three other different halls. The temple definitely looked smaller from the outside than the inside.

There was the bath hall off to the left—which seemed to consist of an Olympic size swimming pool for a bath with benches lining the walls, and at the very back, a very luxurious-looking toilet and sink. The water in the pool-slash-bath was always the exact temperature Joey liked, too—he'd checked at both ends. …And Seto had nearly dropped him in the middle of it when he'd demanded to go check it there too. Ah, young love.

To the right of the entrance hall was what looked like Merlin's study, it was so weird. One of the walls was covered by a bookcase filled with books of various magics or places around Mythaven and the creatures that come from them. Nearby was a desk with a few papers on it. Kankana promised that he'd need to read those soon, and a signature would be needed. There was also a small, round table with a few chairs around it, and a large window, for meetings with various leaders of the different peoples. And, in the far corner, where it was darker than rest of the room, was a large crystal floating above a small table. Apparently, it was for seeing anything anywhere in Mythaven, so he could check on things. It would glow red if there was anything out of the ordinary.

But, to the hall off behind the entrance hall, was the bed chamber, and Joey nearly swooned in a faint. It had a large, king-size bed covered with gold satin sheets and big fluffy pillows, with two big bed-side tables on each side holding lamps; one table, the one on the left, also held a book, while the other held a sketchbook. He supposed they were from his grandmother and her husband.

However, there wasn't much else inside the bed chamber, except for a nice cushy couch and an oddly placed, low table. When Joey had asked about it, he'd been surprised when Seto had answered him. He'd been confused when the brunet had stated 'different surfaces for different moods.' Then, he'd been horrified when the older boy had then illustrated this by smirking and making an 'O' with the index finger and thumb on one hand, then moving his other index finger back and for through it. This had been followed by more horror when he realized that his _grandparents_ had used that bed chamber and everything in it and ran out of the room screaming.

…It had taken a lot of coaxing from not only Seto, but also Kankana and Soumya to come out of his corner in the bathing hall, curled up and rocking back and forth as he whispered 'ew' over and over. It had taken even more coaxing to keep him from trying to find some bleach so he could scrub not only his eyes of the lewd image Seto had given him but also of the horrifying thoughts and images of his grandparents.

Seto growled in frustration, then grabbed his mate by the shoulders and gave him a short but nonetheless rough shake. "Get _over_ it, mutt! We need to get home!"

"S-Seto! S-s-s-sto-o-op it!" the blond stuttered, closing his eyes tightly. "Plee-ease-!"

The Dragon Master hissed softly, eyes narrowing, before he slowly released the younger boy. "…Are you okay now?"

Joey leaned his head against the brunet's chest, waiting for his head to stop spinning. "Nn… I… Yes…"

Cupping the blond's face gently, the older boy lifted his head and gazed into his eyes for a few seconds, then tilted his head inquisitively. "…Are you ready to go home? We'll get you moved out of your father's house to come stay with me and then we'll go get some real food."

The blond blinked up at him slowly, then softly asked, "Could we have curry and rice?"

"I would _love_ to have curry and rice," the Dragon Master replied, smiling. "So you're ready to go home?"

"Yes." Joey hesitated before looking up at him and nodding firmly. "I'm ready to go home."

"Good. Because you've been here much too long without your grandmother here to teach you," Kankana stated, smiling. "So you shouldn't come back until she is here to help show you the ropes. You may technically be the Golden One now, but you have no idea what your duties are. So we'll see you when you get back."

The blond hugged her tightly. "Okay. Don't hurt anyone too bad while I'm gone. Ya got a temper."

"Bah." The inugami snorted. "Whatever."

"I expect you to go visit Akai and the girls when you get back," Soumya stated to the Dragon Master. "They'll be angry if you don't. …No one likes when the girls are angry. Akai will probably just want to see Joey."

Seto sighed and nodded. "Right."

"Well, let's get goin'!" Joey exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he looked back up at him, smiling. "Right, Seto?"

"Oh! One last thing before you go!" Kankana exclaimed, frowning. "You two need to talk about your pups while you're gone! Like who's going to carry them and stuff, alright?"

The blond blinked at her, then frowned and looked up at Seto in confusion when the taller boy flinched and looked away, blushing a little. "…Seto? What is she talkin' 'bout?"

"Ah… Let's go. Mokuba and your friends are probably going out of their minds with worry," the brunet stated, rubbing the back of his head as he quickly strode toward the portal that would take them home.

Joey narrowed his eyes and stomped after him. "Seto! What does she mean!?"

"What? I'm sorry, I can't hear you—"

"_KAIBAAAAAA!_"

Kankana frowned and tilted her head, frowning, as the portal closed behind them. She could have sworn she'd seen something black leap in after them. But it was probably just her imagination; she was just worried about them and her mind was playing tricks on her.

She squeaked as she felt her mate nosing at her tail and turned, nose burning with embarrassment. "W-w-what are you _doing?!_"

Soumya narrowed his eyes at her and smirked, tail swishing deviously. "I was planning on showing you just how much of a sexually abusive, lecherous snake I am. Prove that as soon as I get you all hot and bothered, you act like the most wanton slut ever."

"Noooooooo!" Running away frantically, she squealed, even though she knew that ultimately, he'd probably catch her; he had an extra leg to run on. "Pervert!"

"I believe the insult you're looking for is 'sexually abusive, lecherous snake,'" the kirin replied, trotting after he smugly.

So sires knew when to run away from their dames. …They also knew when to attack them.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Aw, cute. Everyone's going home, certain sires are running away from certain dames. …And certain dames are running away from certain sires.

Is it just me, or have I made dragons incredibly horny? **:**D Well, horny dragons add to the comic affect, huh?


	29. Chapter 28

Author's Note: You people _fail._ At voting, anyway. **:**p Since the voting is still pretty close (yes, I deem two thirds to one as close), I've made an executive decision. This is the end. However, there will be a sequel, which _will_ include m-preg—and you will see what that little black snake-thingy is, and the results of the black snake thing.

But, for those of you that _did_ vote, thank you very much! Just remember that all of my stories have happy endings—_period._

Also, since this chapter is the grand finale, it's going to be the longest chapter ever. About two thousand words longer than a usual chapter. D**:** But mostly because I can't find a good spot to cut it off and make another chapter for you… I _would_ make it two separate chapters if I could find a good spot.

Mythaven

_Recap:_

"_Oh! One last thing before you go!" Kankana exclaimed, frowning. "You two need to talk about your pups while you're gone! Like who's going to carry them and stuff, alright?"_

_The blond blinked at her, then frowned and looked up at Seto in confusion when the taller boy flinched and looked away, blushing a little. "…Seto? What is she talkin' 'bout?"_

"_Ah… Let's go. Mokuba and your friends are probably going out of their minds with worry," the brunet stated, rubbing the back of his head as he quickly strode toward the portal that would take them home._

_Joey narrowed his eyes and stomped after him. "Seto! What does she mean!?"_

"_What? I'm sorry, I can't hear you—"_

"_KAIBAAAAAA!"_

_Kankana frowned and tilted her head, frowning, as the portal closed behind them. She could have sworn she'd seen something black leap in after them. But it was probably just her imagination; she was just worried about them and her mind was playing tricks on her._

Chapter 28

Joey yelped as he fell forward, closing his eyes tightly in preparation for impact. He was surprised, however, when he fell against a hard chest and found strong, warm arms wrapped around him. Then he felt a hand brushing through his hair, and he realized vaguely that his puppy ears were gone so his tail must be too. Then he remembered why he'd stormed into the portal.

Looking up at the brunet sharply, he growled. "What did Kankana mean about _puppies?!_"

This would only end in pain. Seto was sure of it. Sighing, the CEO turned toward his little brother. "Mokuba, call the limo. We're all going to need to talk."

"No! Talk right now!" the blond demanded, stepping back angrily.

The older teen sighed again in frustration and returned his attention to him to press his finger to the blond's unconsciously pouting lips. "This is family stuff, puppy—_private_ talk. Does this look very private to you?"

It was then that Joey realized all of his friends were watching them in interest, especially Bakura and Duke—sadistic _bastards._ Blushing a little, he looked down at his feet as he rubbed the back of his head. "No…"

Seto smiled affectionately and leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek, then turned to his brother again—who was regarding him with large eyes. "So how long have we been gone?"

"…You think you can be _gone for two weeks_ without giving me an explanation?!" the younger boy shouted, glaring at him and flailing his arms about. "I can't just go to the board and say, 'Oh, sorry, my brother and all my friends got sucked into this weird magical book! I don't know when he'll be back!'"

"So what did you tell them?"

Joey turned as he felt a tug on his sleeve and couldn't help a small smile. "Hey, Yug'."

Yugi smiled back at him sweetly, then grabbed his hand and began leading him to the stairs that led to his room. "I know you've probably got a very good reason—that you're most likely going to tell me later—but your shirt is covered in blood and your pants are ripped off at the knees."

"Oh, I-!" Blushing even more, the blond looked down at his clothes in embarrassment. "I didn't think I looked this bad! Things just kept happenin'!"

"I'm sure they did. Let's get you into a shower and then I'll dig out some of the clothes you left here." The smaller boy frowned a little in thought. "…You'll be okay in just jeans and a t-shirt, right? 'cause I don't think Yami and I have any leather pants that'll fit you…"

His face was going to combust. "No, jeans are fine!"

Yugi couldn't help a small chuckle at his friend's expense. "Just kidding, Joey. Take a shower; you'll feel better, believe me."

"…Hey, Yug'? How long has it been since we were first sucked into the book?" Joey asked softly, stopping just outside the bathroom.

The smaller boy frowned a little. "Um, what Mokuba said. Two weeks today." His frown faded into a wry smile. "Bakura and Yami wanted to go back in and get you, you know."

The blond tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Why?"

"Yami was sure that Kaiba was going to hurt you and Bakura was sure that Kaiba was going to molest you."

The taller teen sputtered, trying to find words _somewhere,_ then blushed even more and fled into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. "Yamis are so fuckin' _weird!_"

Yugi laughed despite the sort-of-insult to his other half. "Yeah, but not as weird as Kaiba is sometimes!"

Joey covered his warm cheeks with his hands and sighed, then turned and leaned his head against the cool tile of the wall. "…Dad's gonna be really mad then…" he stated softly. "I've been gone, but never for two weeks. He's gonna knock my head off when he sees me."

He tried to remember that Seto had told him that he could stay at the mansion, but for some reason he had the sinking feeling that he wasn't going to be there when he got out of the shower. He didn't want to appear distrustful, but… he knew that Seto sometimes forgot some of his promises, even the important ones. Like the one time he'd found Mokuba standing in the rain, waiting for his brother to pick him up after a soccer game, and had walked him home. Seto had slammed the door open when they arrived and had asked Mokuba where the hell he'd been and if he knew how worried he'd made him. Mokuba had deadpanned that he was supposed to pick him up after soccer.

Seto had looked so confused and horrified that Joey had almost felt sorry for him, but he'd hurriedly excused himself saying he had to be to work. He knew that if the brunet had seen even a _hint_ of pity, he'd have decked him. Hell, just knowing he'd forgotten to pick up his little brother might have been perilous for his health, had he not kept his mouth shut. Which he had. Because he didn't have a death wish.

Sighing, Joey stepped into the shower and just let the water beat against his skin, not bothering to stop the pleased moan that escaped his lips as the hot, soothing beat forced some of his tense and aching muscles to relax. "Oh, _yes…_" He reached up to scrub at his human ears, unconsciously missing the golden puppy ones he'd had; he'd liked having those rubbed, especially by Seto's long, strong fingers. "Mmn…"

He blushed and gasped softly, then grabbed some shampoo and began viciously scrubbing his hair. No, he had _not_ just been thinking about Seto's touch! Or how nice it had been! Or how he'd miss it! Because he wouldn't! Especially because Seto always touched him at inappropriate times!

He blushed even more as he thought back to their intimate… mating. Just the memory of it gave him pleasant goose bumps, and he decided that really, it wouldn't be so bad if it happened again. As long as that perverted dragon-maniac kept his stupid tongue to himself instead of putting it-!

He was sure that his cheeks were causing the water to turn into steam.

-x-x-x-

"—And now Joey's staying with us," Seto concluded, crossing his arms.

Mokuba eyed him skeptically, then shrugged; he couldn't find a downside to his brother dating Joey or to the blond moving in with them. In fact, life could only get better, in his opinion, because he'd have someone else to help him drag his brother out of the office. "Fine. But you better go talk to your board and your stockholders, because I told the board that you'd come down with pneumonia and I didn't know when you'd be better. …People think you're going to die."

"…Well, I suppose that's better than thinking that my brother and I are crazy because you said I disappeared into a magical book and I just dropped off the face of the earth and popped back up two weeks later." The brunet sighed and rubbed his temple; he could feel a migraine coming on. "Now I'll just have to—"

"_Oh, __**yes…**__"_

His eyes snapped open again as he looked up at the ceiling. He was certain that that was his mate. Hearing another moan of pleasure, he let out his own possessive growl, though considering the confused looks he was currently receiving, he was the only one who could hear him. His growl soon turned into a pleased purr when he heard another moan. Oh yes. His mate was just _asking_ for him to come up and ravish him.

Mokuba raised an eyebrow as his brother's eyes began to glow. So, he understood the Dragon Master thing, and the wings and tail—he'd thought he'd seen something pulling back into his brother's skin when he'd come out of the book—and he understood that his brother hadn't exactly been celibate until the book incident. This did not warrant him suddenly leering through the ceiling at his mate that no one else could see. And it _certainly_ didn't warrant him purring with that stupid smug expression. Joey deserved a shower free of molestation.

Seto yelped as he felt a sharp pain in his shin and looked down angrily. "What?!"

"Did you not just hear a word I said?!" the younger Kaiba exclaimed, glaring at him. "Let me simplify it for you! You. Board members._ Meeting._" He pointed at the door. "Scheduled _as soon_ as possible!"

The brunet grumbled to himself but began toward the door. "Fine, fine. Let's go talk to the fucking board." He turned back to the others, scowling. "Do not let him leave. I'm coming back for him. I'll be damned if I let anyone hurt my mate."

Tristan raised an eyebrow as he watched him leave, then sighed. "He doesn't seem any different from before…"

"Are you kidding!?" Duke exclaimed, looking just a _tad_ jealous of the other CEO. "It's like the stick up his ass just disappeared! I knew it. The guy just needed to get laid. He must have a furry fetish or something."

The pointy-haired brunet scowled and crossed his arms. "Says the guy that dressed my best friend in a dog suit!"

"I _said_ I was _sorry!_"

"Sorry about what?"

The dice-master jumped a little, then turned, and he realized that he'd been _stupid_ to have let Kaiba take the adorable blond, because there he was toweling his hair dry and in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Ah, but that was a mistake he could learn from, so he'd continued to court Tristan. …Even if the rhino-head didn't know he was being courted. Really, he could slap him with a fish that said "I like you moron" and he still wouldn't get it.

"…Duke? Sorry about what?"

"The dog suit," Tristan answered for him, and the blond's face twisted into a scowl.

"No matter how many times you say it—" Joey cut himself off as he noticed the look of regret on the other boy's face, and the way he glanced at Tristan like a heartbroken puppy. "…Oh. My. God." He pointed at the raven-haired boy in horror. "You—with Tri—and he—with the—in the book—awaaaaaa!"

Both Yami and Bakura raised eyebrows at him, and they vaguely wondered whether the blond had finally realized that he was mated with _Kaiba,_ and therefore doomed to live with 'mutt' for the rest of his life. …Their lighter halves had a very different approach.

"Oh, that's so cute!" Ryou squealed, clasping his hands together.

Yugi grabbed both Tristan and Joey by the wrist and dragged them toward the kitchen. "Come on, come on!"

When Tristan showed some signs of hesitation—dude, he had no idea what was going on—Ryou followed behind them and gave him a shove. "Oh no, you're not getting out of this!"

"Out of what?" the brunet asked in confusion, before disappearing into the kitchen with his friends.

The two ancient spirits blinked in confusion before automatically going after them, only to have Joey suddenly duck out of kitchen and glare at them. "If ya come within ten steps of this door I'll kick ya from here t' New-fuckin'-York," he hissed, looking suddenly very menacing. He didn't even wait for them to answer before he ducked back inside.

"…What's the probability he's telling the truth?" Bakura asked thoughtfully.

"_One hundred fucking percent!_"

"…I think it's safe to say one hundred percent," Yami replied, before sighing loudly and flopping onto the couch.

Duke paled as he heard the exclamation of, "He's been doing _WHAT?!_" Obviously, that was Tristan, and the others had savvied him up about his only-subtle-to-Tristan flirting. When this was followed by a loud and confused "What the hell," he bolted for the door.

-x-x-x-

Joey frowned. "Seriously? Ya didn't notice? I mean… I thought _I_ was slow."

"What the hell are you talking about?! He hasn't been _flirting_ with me!" the brunet exclaimed, flailing about wildly in disbelief and outrage. "Why would he flirt with _me?!_"

"Well, you're nice, your heart is in the right place, you're loyal, you're logical sometimes, you're sometimes aggressive, and you know you're not exactly bad to look at, right?" Ryou listed off, counting on his fingers. When the others merely stared at him, he huffed and placed his hands on his hips. "What?"

"…Why did you have those off the top of your head?" Yugi asked, frowning in confusion.

The albino blushed a little and crossed his arms. "Sometimes, when I just want to cuddle, Bakura needs… a little encouragement." When this information only received raised eyebrows, he blushed even more. "I have to make him jealous sometimes, okay! I mention Kaiba or Yami when I want sex and he's not in the mood and I mention Tristan, Yugi, or Joey when I just want to cuddle!"

"…There are times when Bakura's not in the mood?" Tristan asked in disbelief.

Ryou rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Usually because he wants to go out and do something illegal."

"…I guess that makes sense," Joey mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Catching sight of the clock, he grimaced. "Ah, man, I better get home. Dad's gonna be pissed for sure," he added, moving for the back door. "I'll call you guys, okay? Tell Yami and Bakura 'bye' for me."

Yugi grabbed his arm quickly. "Kaiba said not to let you leave!" When the blond looked back at him in surprise, he added, "He said he was coming back to get you!"

He was tempted to wait—he really was—but he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be depending on people as much as he had been, so he decided that maybe Seto was taking this 'sire taking care of his dame' thing a bit too far. Besides, his dad wouldn't hurt him too badly; without him, who would pay the bills and get booze? He'd smack him around a little, but he wouldn't leave him unable to work.

"Nah, I'll be fine," he assured, patting his friend's hand comfortingly. "Dad's not gonna be too mad. Besides, without me, he won't have anybody t' support him. He needs me." He offered his friends a small smile; he was well aware that they could tell it was fake, but the least they could do was humor him.

"…Okay…"

He hesitated at the door, then turned to give Yugi a pleading look. "I'm gonna leave the book here with ya, okay? So my dad can't pawn it." When he received a nod of understanding, he flashed them a real smile, then stepped outside. It was time to go home, even if he didn't want to.

-x-x-x-

Seto yanked at the tie that had been forced on him as soon as he'd walked into his office and sighed, ruffling his hair in frustration. Mokuba had informed him that, after two weeks of being missing, making a good impression would do him some good (actually, he'd said that no matter how much the ladies would appreciate seeing him shirtless, their were more men on the board who definitely wouldn't). Thus, he'd quickly changed into a suit before going to meet the majority of shareholders and the board.

Now, however, he was going to pick up his puppy so they could go get his things and make him comfortable in his new home. Soumya had warned him that the first few times he was forced to stay away from his dame for any lengthy period, he'd experience anxiety. Well, he hadn't thought much of it, but now he decided he didn't like it. Anxiety wasn't fun, especially when you were trying to explain to twenty or so people that you were _not_ going to die anytime soon and _no,_ he had _not_ gotten his tan from skipping out of town for two weeks, because _no,_ he was _not_ that irresponsible.

Old people were annoying.

Sighing again, Seto whipped his tie off and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, taking a few deep breaths of freedom; his jacket he'd left in the car. Then, once he'd reached the door, he knocked. He decided giving his mate and his friends heart attacks by kicking open the door would be very rude. However, he was alarmed when the door wasn't answered. Just as he reached to knock again, luckily, the door swang open.

Yami blinked up at him for a moment, looking annoyed to see him, but they'd never seen eye to eye with each other. "…Your _mate_ is not here. He went to his father's place of residence. Aibou tried to convince him otherwise, but he was adamant." His eyes suddenly narrowed. "…I sense a disturbance. I don't like it."

"Where does he live, Yami? He didn't tell me where he lives," the brunet stated, eyes beginning to glow angrily. "He wasn't supposed to leave until I got back."

"Joey was the one that wanted to leave, Kaiba." The shorter man sighed, still looking a bit unsettled. He didn't think that the disturbance had to do directly with his friend, but it was possible. Turning, he called over his shoulder, "Aibou, where does Joey live?"

-x-x-x-

Joey yelped as he was thrown into the ground, then groaned, reaching up to touch the bloody cut on his head. "Ah… Dad, what the—"

"Ya think ya c'n jus' sho' wup aft' bein' gone three weeks?!" the man roared, throwing a bottle at him.

The teen flinched and covered his head, whimpering as the bottle shattered against the wall and showered down on him. "Fuck-! Dad! It's only been two weeks and I came home as soon as I could!"

"Ya lyin' sonuvabitch!"

Joey whimpered as his father grabbed his arm and yanked him upward, biting his bottom lip to try and choke them back. "I ain't lyin'! Dad, I swear! I didn't have a—" He yelped again as the older man slapped him and was thrown by the force in the same direction, twisting his arm out of his socket since he hadn't let go. He fell to the ground in a heap, placing a shaky hand on his shoulder as he tried to choke back any cries, to keep his father form wanting to hurt him more. He grunted as the man kicked him in the ribs, then curled up as small as he could. "Fuckin' basta'd-! I go' back soon as I could!" He cringed as he sensed another kick coming and closed his eyes tightly.

Then the door slammed open, and he felt a shiver of fear at the cold, deadly aura he sensed. It frightened him more when he realized that he _knew_ that aura. It was Seto's, and Seto was _pissed._

Looking up as he heard a loud, rumbling growl, he was horrified to find his mate holding his father up against the wall, eyes glowing in fury as he bared his fangs at him. "S-Seto!"

Seto only spared him a glance before he turned his attention back to the dirty, horrible human in front of him and growled. _**"**__My__** mate! Mine!"**_ When the man tried to respond, he snarled and gripped his throat tightly, locking the air in his lungs so he struggled to breathe.

Joey gasped softly, then struggled to sit up. "Seto-! No! Don't kill him! Please! Don't kill him!" He bit his bottom lip as the brunet only growled louder, then leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes tightly. "Seto, if you… If ya kill my dad, I'll never have sex with ya again!"

The brunet snapped his attention toward him, face contorted in shock and disbelief. _**"…Ne…?"**_

The blond sobbed quietly, then looked back up at him, biting his bottom lip. "I… I won't forgive ya if ya kill my dad. …Seto let him go!"

Seto scowled, then released the man to drop to the ground, coughing and choking. _**"Fine."**_

Joey winced a little when he realized the brunet hadn't taken his eyes off of him and bit his bottom lip. "…S-Seto, I—_Nn!_" He bit back a squeak of indignance and closed his eyes tightly as the brunet scooped him up. "I-I'm sorry, Seto, I—" He yelped as he was flung into his room onto the bed and looked up quickly, trembling, only to find that the older boy wasn't even looking at him. He was glaring at the wall. "…Set-?"

"Pack and be done with this."

He'd calmed down incredibly quickly. The blond didn't know whether or not that was a good thing, considering that normally, he'd be humped into the wall right now in a show of dominance and possession. So was Seto getting better… or was he getting worse?

Seto spun back to him and snarled. "Pack and be done, damn it!"

Joey flinched, then hurriedly stood, stumbling over to the small bedside table beside his mattress. Pawing through all of his belongings (which were few to begin with), he finally found his duffle bag and began to stuff things into it as well as he could with one hand. "I… I need to go downstairs and get my school uniforms. I left 'em in the…" he trailed off, looking up at the brunet only to find his back facing him. "…Never mind, I'll buy more later…" he whispered, looking back down at his duffle bag as he began situating his belongings inside of it.

After a few more minutes, he deemed himself finished; he didn't have to bring his bedding or his furniture, if you could even call a sheet, a mattress, a pillow, and a small bedside table furniture and bedding. He bit his bottom lip and reached up to gently touch his shoulder, wincing a little. He didn't know how to heal this if it wasn't a gaping wound.

He let out a yelp of pain as the older boy suddenly shoved his arm back into its socket, then closed his eyes tightly and bit back a groan. _'Ow, ow, ow!'_

Seto pressed against his arm for a few more seconds, then grabbed the blond's other hand to place it beneath his. "Heal it now."

Joey looked up at him in confusion, but the brunet wasn't looking at him; he was looking at his arm. Feeling the worst hurt he'd felt in a long time, he looked back at his arm as well and watched as small sparks began to travel around his shoulder. Once it was finished healing, he found himself back in the older boy's arms, but never once did the Dragon Master ever look at him.

He felt like crap.

Once inside the limo, he reached up to touch the cut on his forehead. He was surprised, however, when Seto caught his hand and instead pulled a first-aid kit from under the seat. "…Seto…?"

"I told you to _wait_ for me," the brunet snapped, pulling out a disinfectant swipe and ripping it open. "But you _didn't._ How am I supposed to take care of you if you won't listen to me? You just left. I didn't even know where you lived."

"Ow!" Joey flinched away as the older boy pressed the wipe to his cut and winced back. "Seto, that hurts!"

"How do you think I felt when I couldn't find you?!" Seto snapped, glaring at him, but pulled his arm back. "…I thought you'd wait for me. Why was I so wrong?"

The blond looked up at him in confusion, then winced as he felt daggers of pain and confusion lancing through him that most certainly were lancing through his mate. "I… Seto, you… I know I should have waited—"

"I'm… not a complete bastard for the fun of it, Joey," the brunet added softly. "I wanted to be there to protect you in case your father did something. Why didn't you care?"

Joey winced backward, then turned away from him and looked down at his lap, tears forming in his eyes in shame. He felt like the scum of the earth. He hadn't thought he'd hurt the other boy with his actions, but now he saw that, once again, his failure to think before acting had hurt him. His fear of being hurt had hurt him again.

"…Maybe I just shouldn't be with ya then. I keep hurtin' ya just t' keep ya from hurtin' me and it just ain't—" he began, only to yelp as the brunet smashed the disinfectant wipe against his cut. "Ow!"

"You don't have a choice anymore, puppy," Seto stated sharply, glaring at him. "You are mine. I'm not letting you go. You just need to learn how to _trust_ me."

Joey rubbed at the cut, pouting a little, then whined as the brunet slapped his hand away. "_Ow!_ Why do ya keep—"

"Idiot, you've opened it again." The CEO carefully cleaned the small wound, shooting the smaller boy a glare when he made a noise of protest, then pulled out a couple of butterfly bandages. Using them to close the cut, he sighed. "…This is about you depending on me, isn't it? I thought I told you that I don't mind."

"But I don't _wanna_ depend on ya all the time, Seto!" The Golden One pulled away, frowning petulantly. "I wanna depend on _me_ sometimes!"

Seto sighed and rested his chin on his fist, taking a few minutes to just watch him and think about what he'd heard. Once he believed he'd come up with a suitable answer, he replied, "I can understand that. You'd taken care of yourself up until Akuju sucked us into the book. You even tried to take care of yourself even when you were obviously in over your head, until you started to depend on me. I understand your want to be independent sometimes, and I'm sure I can respect that want; however, I believe it's time to speak about puppies."

Joey frowned. "What was Kankana talkin' about anyways? She said to pick which one of us is gonna carry 'em. What did she mean?"

The brunet realized there was nowhere to run, and there was nothing to put between himself and the very strong Golden One in front of him. …A change would have to be made in his strategy. Right now. "Perhaps we can wait a few minutes. Maybe Mokuba should hear about this and be able to have a say."

"…A say about who's carrying the puppies?" He had a vague inkling of what they were going to be talking about. …He didn't like it. "Where are we carryin' 'em to, Seto?"

Seto cast around desperately for a distraction, then threw himself toward the window. "Look! Yugi in a tutu!"

Joey couldn't help but look, but when he realized it was an obvious distraction, he sighed and slouched down in his seat. If his mate was going to go to such lengths just to keep from speaking about it until they reached someplace he'd be relatively safe, then he'd humor him. Especially if he was getting desperate enough to use Yugi and the word 'tutu' in a sentence (the _same_ sentence, no less) just to keep him from asking.

-x-x-x-

Mokuba raised an eyebrow as he glanced back and forth between his brother and Joey, then crossed his arms and sank back in his seat. "So what are we talking about, anyway? I mean, you're supposed to be talking about _something,_ right? That's why I'm here as a buffer?"

Joey narrowed his eyes at the brunet. "Yes, Seto. What _are_ we talkin' about?"

Seto sighed, then crossed his arms and leaned back. "…It was brought to my attention that only direct descendents of the Golden One can inherit Mythaven. You can't leave it to a niece or nephew, or even your sister; it has to be your child or grandchild."

"…But you're both _male,_" Mokuba pointed out, frowning.

"Yes. However, Joey has the power to give… beings… female reproductive systems," the brunet replied.

The Golden One wasn't pleased with what was being implied. "…Seto, just _who_ do you think will be getting the female reproductive system?"

Seto thanked _God_ that his little brother answered.

The raven-haired teen frowned. "Well, Seto obviously can't get it. He's the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. People would notice if he suddenly gained weight, when he's given interviews to magazines saying that he works out everyday. Besides, with the way you eat, people wouldn't think twice if _you_ got fat."

Joey looked at him in disbelief, then huffed and stood. "I resent that! How fuckin' rude! I do _not_ eat that much. And who cares what Seto's said-? I'm _goin'_ t' my _room,_" he stated angrily, then turned and stomped toward the stairs.

When he hesitated at the bottom, the brunet sighed. "It's the forth room on the left."

"I woulda figured that out!" he snapped, turning to glare at him. "You jerk!"

"Mokuba's the one who said it, not me!" the older teen exclaimed, trying to look both angry and hurt.

It didn't take a moron to realize just how much he was failing when the blond replied, "But ya were thinkin' the same thing! Besides, the _great_ Seto Kaiba doesn't _need_ the publicity of rapid weight gain and loss and lookin' pregnant, right?!" The blond's eyes began to fill with angry and frustrated tears. "So of course gettin' the _mutt_ pregnant wouldn't be a problem! Who cares what anyone thinks about him! H-he's not the one with the important job or the—the l-loyal troupe of rabid f-fan girls! Wh-who cares about what happens to _him?_"

Seto winced as the blond stormed upstairs, and seconds later he heard the door to his room open and slam back shut. "…I think I want to die," he commented, rubbing the back of his head and sighing in aggravation. "I didn't expect him to just burst into tears like that."

"I didn't mean to hurt his feelings," Mokuba stated softly, playing nervously with his hair. "I was just making a point. I mean, the only reason he isn't fat right now is because he's always running everywhere and he doesn't get to eat much."

The brunet sighed again and rested his head in his hands. "…I believe we've just put ourselves in a doghouse. Mokuba, bring me the phone please. I need to call someone."

The younger Kaiba sighed as well, then stood and went to go do as told. He really hadn't meant to hurt Joey's feelings; he'd just been making a few points that he thought the blond wouldn't realize. That, and the instinct to protect his older brother's dignity had flared and he'd listed things off, mindless of how they might have seemed callous and rude to the other boy.

Seto took the offered phone and pinched the bridge of his nose, promising that this was one of the only times he'd swallow his pride. As he turned the phone on, however, he was surprised to already hear a conversation in progress.

"—_nd it would be nice if I got it as soon as possible."_

"_Yeah, right. It's kind of busy down here though, so I'll have Yami bring it by, okay? Grandpa says that Yami's not allowed to man the shop alone ever since that one time…"_

"_He nearly banished the cash register t' the shadow realm? Yeah, I remember that. That was funny."_

"_Ha, ha, ha. Anyways, Yami will bring it by. You'll tell me what Kaiba's done to hurt you later, right?"_

"_I'll tell ya a lot of things later, Yug'."_

"_Just making sure. Bye, Joey!"_

"_Bye."_

And then there was the sound of both lines hanging up.

Seto blinked, then sighed and turned the phone off, then turned it back on again to call down to the gatehouse. Joey wouldn't know to call ahead to inform them of their coming guest, and he really wasn't in the mood to have a lawsuit against him simply because the contract he had with his guards didn't include anything about shadow realms or mind crushing. Because he didn't doubt that Yami would go to any length to achieve any request his 'aibou' gave him.

He would have thought it to be disgusting if he didn't know that he'd do the same for his mate. Ugh… Life sucked when your mate was angry.

He was surprised when, not ten minutes later, he heard the doorbell ring. But, he needed to speak with Yami, so he got up off the couch and went to go answer the door.

"I'll get it!"

Seto couldn't help a startled squeak as something golden-yellow rushed past him, then scowled when he realized it was Joey. "Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?!"

"Humph!" The blond stopped long enough to cross his arms and glare at him. "Maybe I am! That way I wouldn't hafta be pregnant!"

"You can live through a heart attack, idiot!"

"Well, I can hope, can't I?" Joey glared at him for a few more seconds before huffing and turning to open the door. He smiled brightly. "Yami! Thank you so much!"

Yami raised an eyebrow as the book was snatched out of his hand. "…You're welcome."

"Well! I hafta go do some readin', so I'll call Yugi later, okay?" the blond continued, still smiling, as he turned to leave and slam the door shut on the way. He squeaked as he ran into his mate's chest as his hand kept the door from closing. "Meep!"

"…I need to speak with you," Seto stated, stepping aside for the blond to stomp past him. …But not without a parting spank.

Yami raised his other brow when the blond squawked in surprise only to merely shoot the older boy a glare before storming off, then looked back up at the CEO. "…You've done something to upset him and you want to know how to get back into his good graces."

"…Yeah, basically." The brunet groaned softly and ran a hand through his hair. "But it's not just me. Mokuba said something too, so he's mad at both of us. I know he won't stay mad at Mokuba long—he really didn't mean anything—but I get the feeling that he's going to stay mad at me until I make it up to him."

"Okay, fine." The ancient spirit crossed his arms and sighed. "Since you've never had a relationship before, I'll tell you, but the rest you just have to muddle through. That's part of what being a relationship _is._"

Seto offered him a small, grateful smile. "Great. That's all I need."

"Alright. Now listen very carefully, because the words that I'm about to teach you are very, _very_ important." Yami narrowed his eyes. "They could mean the difference between life and death."

"…Life and death? Really?" The brunet raised an eyebrow skeptically.

The smaller man paused, then shrugged. "Well, more like the difference between bed and couch. So, are you ready to memorize the words?"

"…Yes."

Yami nodded in approval before leaning forward in a slightly conspiratory manner. "The words are, 'I'm sorry.'"

Seto blinked at him for a moment before scowling. "That's it?"

"You'd be surprised just how forgiving someone can be." The smaller man narrowed his eyes. "It's not the _words_ they want to hear, Kaiba. It's the feelings _behind them_ that they want to see. So they know that the probability of you doing the same thing to hurt them again is less likely to happen." He paused for a moment to allow the statement to sink in, then turned to leave. "I'll be going now."

"…You do that." The brunet sighed, then leaned back and shut the door. _'Alright. So I just need to say 'I'm sorry.' …But what if he doesn't want to see me yet? I'll give him a little more time.'_ He blinked for a moment when he remembered something he thought very important, then turned to go up to his room and grab his cell phone. He needed to make a business call.

-x-x-x-

"So, you're sayin' I really have no choice then?" Joey asked, jotting something down on the notepad in front of him. "One of us has t' get pregnant. Not even adoption?"

"_I'm sorry, Joey. Perhaps you could run that one past Kankana. I was led to believe it had to be a descendent of direct blood relation. She may know differently."_

The blond sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. …But I just turned seventeen. Kaiba just graduated high school _[1]_. He's still gotta run his company. When would we have time for kids?"

"_Joey, that's something for you to discuss with your… mate. Personally, your grandfather and I had children early, and so did your parents. But if you'd like to start your family later, you're free to do so. Discuss it with your family and see what you decide together. That, ultimately, is always the best way to plan something."_

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he sighed, frowning as he began kicking his feet. "Thanks, Grandma."

"_You're welcome, sweetie. I'll see you in a few years."_

The blond sputtered for a few seconds before exclaiming, "Wha-! But—Grandma! I opened the book sooner than ya thought I would! Shouldn't ya come help me figure things out?!"

"_You can flail around like I did for a while. I don't see any harm in that."_

"But-! But-! But-!"

"_Butts belong in ashtrays, Joey. I'll see you in a few years."_

"But—Grandma, what the—"

_**click**_

Joey pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it in disbelief, then scowled and turned it off, flinging it onto the bed in front of him. "Fine, see if I ever ask ya for help again!" Huffing indignantly, he glared at the notes he'd taken, then sighed and began doodling on the edges of the paper. "Maybe I _will_ ask Kankana about adoption. That may be somethin' t' explore…" He blinked as he heard a knock on the door, then sighed and looked toward it in annoyance. "What?"

"…Puppy, may I come in please?"

He thought about saying no. He really did. But, the boy _had_ said please, which he so rarely did. Sighing, he replied, "If ya absolutely _must._"

The door opened slightly, and the other boy peeked in. When Seto realized that the blond was _not,_ in fact, planning on throwing something at him, he opened the door further and stepped inside, pulling something in behind him and leaning it against the wall. "I… I know you're probably still mad at me. I just came up to say…" He hesitated, trying to keep looking his mate in the eyes, but he found he just couldn't. It was with a great sense of shame that he let his eyes drift to just below the blond's face as he finished, "I'm sorry."

Joey blinked at him in surprise, then hurriedly looked away, blushing. "W-well that's just fine! Ya think that's gonna cut it? Ya really hurt my feelin's!"

The brunet sighed and looked down at his feet. "…I hadn't thought it would cut it at all."

"Yeah, that's—huh?" The younger boy looked back up at him in confusion. "…Ya didn't?"

"I won't lie; I was thinking the things that Mokuba voiced," the brunet explained, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed. "But that wasn't the only thing I was thinking about when I thought that you should be the one carrying them."

Joey frowned and tilted his head. "…What else would ya be thinkin' about?"

Seto looked up at him and smiled a little. "I was thinking about how beautiful you would look with our children forming in your stomach. It would make you so much more stunning than you already are."

"Ah-!" Blushing, the blond looked away, only to have the older boy grab his chin and turn him back. "…I…"

"To see you carrying _our_ children. That's what I'd love to see. Pieces of both of us, made into one."

Joey blushed even more, biting his bottom lip, then reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling it away from his face. "Seto, I… Well, maybe. Okay? Maybe. I wanna talk t' Kankana about adoption first."

Seto smiled sweetly. "That works too. So we'll wait for you to talk to Kankana before we decide anything for sure."

"Right." The blond smiled back at him, still embarrassed, but suddenly not so appalled with the prospect of possible being pregnant. But on to other things. "And… now that that's settled…" He crawled a little closer and laid his arm across the brunet's lap to point at the package leaning against the wall. "Whazzat?"

"Well, never say you're not a curious little puppy, hmm?" The older boy stood and walked over to it, then dragged it over toward the bed. "I seem to remember a certain Golden One saying that he liked to paint but couldn't ever do it at home because his father always pawned his things. I figured—"

"_Eeeek!_" Standing up quickly, the blond threw the top of the box off and began pawing through everything. "OhmiGod! Look 't all this stuff! Oh, I've always wanted this paint-! And, and—" He gasped in disbelief as he pulled out a package of paintbrushes. "Sable paintbrushes? These are so expensive-! I could never—Oh, and _look,_ there's charcoal pencils an' a sketchbook an'—"

Seto raised an eyebrow in confusion as the blond cut himself off and turned to look up at him sharply. "…Puppy? Is there something—" He blinked as the younger boy threw his arms around his neck and yanked him down into a hug. "Mmn! Mm? …Mmmm…" Growling, he slid his arms around the blond's waist and jerked his hips forward, crushing him against the bed. When he didn't struggle, he growled again and shoved him down onto the bed.

Joey squeaked as his back met the bed and reached out to grab his shoulders, frightened, and was confused when his hands began unbuttoning the other boy's shirt as if by their own accord. But then he felt the brunet's hands sliding over his body and he decided it was _his_ fault, because he shouldn't be allowed to have so much muscle and skin that begged to be touch. Then—then—Oh, _God,_ his fingers shouldn't be allowed to _do_ that…

-x-x-x-

Beady red eyes narrowed at the wriggling pair on the bed, and a hiss escaped from between sharp teeth when suddenly the smaller body let out a high-pitched keen. Then the serpentine body was moving, dodging a shirt as it was ripped off and flung away. It slithered over to a darkened corner and coiled up, then sank into the ground, prepared to sit, and wait, and strike when the time was right.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

[1] So, in the American dub of the anime, Kaiba's actually eighteen, because apparently being sixteen and the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company is just wrong. *rolls eyes* Since Kaiba's two years older, that would just make him more qualified to graduate early. So, technically, Kaiba graduating at the end of his junior year is plausible. …And actually more likely. Because really, what the hell's an eighteen-year-old doing in classes with a bunch of sixteen-year-olds? There's something wrong there. I swear, 4kids just ruins _everything._ _**FAIL!**_

But seriously, I hope you guys enjoyed this last chapter. D**:** And look, look, no _definite_ m-preg! Joey's eggo was never preggo. Keep an eye out for the sequel, _The Secret Serpent._ …Yeah, there's gonna be some m-preg in that. Sorry if you don't like m-preg. **:**(


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